#7          '       vjZ^, 


- 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 


A  STORY 


BY 

MRS.   ELIZABETH   CHENEY 


NEW  YORK  :  EATON  cSt  MAINS 
CINCINNATI :  JENNINGS  &  PYE 


Copyright  by 

EATON  &  MAINS, 

1900. 


It  is  the  King's — 

this  glinting,  yellow  stuff 

For  which  men  strain  and  delve ;  exile  themselves 
To  cruel  Arctic  snows  or  blist'ring  sands, 
Torture  their  bodies,  and  destroy  their  souls. 
Still  it  is  not  their  own  ;  if  paltry  wage 
Of  unskilled  toil,  or  well-deserved  meed 
Of  lauded  prowess,  or  the  ringing  hoard 
That  Death  the  realist  shakes  from  stiffening  hands 
Of  one  swift  generation  to  the  next, 
It  is  the  King's — 

and  every  man  that  breathes 
Is  but  His  steward,  righteous  or  unjust; 
It  is  the  touchstone  of  man's  love  for  Him, 
Till,  unexpected,  He  shall  come  again 
From  that  far  country  and  demand  His  own. 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 


CHAPTER   I 

To  the  soul  that  has  not  learned  to  find  its  all 
in  God,  happiness  consists  principally  in  a  con- 
fident expectation  of  the  morrow's  joy.  Reali- 
zation is  not  the  flood  tide  of  bliss.  It  is  more 
often  the  beginning  of  the  ebb.  There  are  days 
so  full  of  hope  that  they  shine  out  in  memory's 
landscape  like  mountain  peaks  crowned  with 
eternal  sunlight;  days  when  beauteous  outward 
conditions  and  the  rapture  of  the  heart  respond 
one  to  the  other  in  a  glorious  antiphonal  of  de- 
light. Such  a  day  dawned  for  Helen  West  one 
radiant  Sunday  in  June.  It  was  not  long  after 
sunrise  when  she  threw  open  the  shutters  of  her 
bedroom  window  over  the  east  porch  of  the  old- 
fashioned  brown  house  on  Elm  Street.  A 
shower  of  dewdrops  from  the  startled  rose 
vines  that  wreathed  the  casement  fell  on  her 
bright,  upturned  face.  She  reached  up  and 
pulled  a  large  crimson  rose,  fastening  it  into 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

the  belt  of  her  fresh  print  gown.     The  vines 
made  a  charming  frame  for  her  girlish  figure. 

"0,  beautiful  world!  she  said  softly,  looking 
with  shining  eyes  across  the  blossoming  gardens 
to  the  distant  hills.  Her  heart  seemed  well- 
nigh  bursting  with  its  store  of  gladness.  Hap- 
piness had  overtaken  her  in  a  tidal  wave.  Not 
one  cherished  desire,  but  several  were  about 
to  bloom  into  rich  color  and  fragrance.  Life, 
like  a  splendid  diamond,  flashed  its  rainbow 
tints  from  many  facets  and  dazzled  her  soul. 
She  recognized  that  a  deep  current  of  spiritual 
peace  underran  her  joy  and  intensified  it.  That 
very  day  she  was  to  unite  with  the  church  to 
which  her  parents  belonged.  Although  of  a 
buoyant  nature,  she  had  inherited  from  Puritan 
and  Scottish  ancestors  a  serious  cast  of  mind 
and  a  conscientiousness  that  had  made  her  re- 
sponsive to  early  instruction  on  her  duty  to 
God.  Her  father's  Christianity  was  of  a  stern 
type.  He  moved  in  the  atmosphere  of  the  Deca- 
logue. Although  a  plain  man,  a  village  store- 
keeper, with  simple  manners,  there  was  some- 
thing of  majesty  in  his  presence,  the  dignity  of 
uncompromising  godliness.  His  store,  always 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

cleanly  and  orderly,  was  never  a  resort  for  the 
male  gossips  of  the  place,  but  the  minister 
oftentimes  found  a  hint  for  a  sermon  in  a  half 
hour's  chat  there.  Nathaniel  West  was  familiar 
with  no  one,  and  spoke  rarely  even  to  his  wife 
and  children.  He  was  not  glum  with  his  re- 
ticence, but  absorbed  as  one  who  pondered  on 
the  great  things  of  God.  Genuine,  just,  loyal, 
he  was  thoroughly  respected  by  the  villagers. 
The  evildoer  feared  his  piercing,  keen  gray  eyes, 
and  his  deep,  sonorous  voice  struck  terror  to  the 
boy  who  was  caught  imposing  on  a  small  lad  or 
tormenting  a  dumb  animal. 

Mrs.  West  is  not  a  subject  for  a  pen-and-ink 
sketch,  but  for  the  brush  of  a  Raphael.  If  her 
husband  represented  the  Law,  she  was  the  em- 
bodiment of  St.  John's  epistles.  Her  face  was 
as  clear-cut  and  delicate  as  a  priceless  cameo, 
with  a  soft,  heavenly  light  upon  it,  and  yet 
withal  a  forcible  face,  firm  as  well  as  sweet.  It 
was  a  face  that  should  have  shone  out  upon  the 
traveler  from  the  stained  glass  of  a  dim  old 
cloister,  and  seemed  out  of  place  amid  the 
homely  walls  of  a  New  England  kitchen.  God 
sometimes  gives  his  jewels  strange  settings. 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

Here  was  a  gifted  mind,  a  nature  sensitive  to 
select  the  precious  gold  of  life  from  the  alloy, 
a  poetic  soul  shut  in  to  struggle  with  petty 
economies,  to  toil  over  washtuh  and  cooking 
stove,  to  learn  how  to  do  without  the  amenities 
and  to  abound  in  the  discomforts  and  turn  them 
into  serenities. 

Mary  West  was  an  orphan  when  Nathaniel 
married  her.  She  could  not  remember  her 
mother.  She  had  a  faint  recollection  of  a  room 
under  a  skylight,  hung  with  a  few  unframed 
canvases,  and  littered  with  strange-looking  gar- 
ments, weapons,  brushes,  tubes  of  paint,  all 
centered  around  a  tall  three-legged  frame  where 
a  pale,  thin  man  sat  hour  after  hour  painting 
trees  and  lakes  and  houses.  Sometimes  she  had 
to  stand  for  a  long,  long  time  with  a  dingy 
crimson  scarf  or  a  square  of  ragged  lace  over 
her  head.  These  same  bits  of  ancient  finery 
did  duty  at  other  times  as  robes  for  a  feather 
duster,  her  only  doll.  The  man  would  often 
work  all  day  without  noticing  her,  but  occa- 
sionally he  would  kiss  her  and  smooth  her  hair. 
Again,  he  would  burst  into  tears,  and  throwing 

aside  his  brush  would  pick  up  a  violin  and 
8 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

make  it  talk  of  things  she  could  not  understand, 
but  that  somehow  seemed  to  lighten  her  heart 
of  a  dull  pain,  as  if  one  had  said  tenderly,  "I 
know  all  about  it,  little  one." 

She  was  often  hungry,  and  many  times  was 
left  all  alone  for  hours.  Her  father — for  so 
she  recalled  him — always  carried  out  a  picture 
with  him,  and  usually  brought  it  back  at  night. 
Xo  one  ever  came  up  to  the  skylighted  room, 
except  a  harsh  woman  who  lived  in  the  base- 
ment. She  always  asked  for  money,  and  used  to 
get  very  angry  when  there  was  none  for  her. 
One  day  she  brought  a  loud-voiced,  red-faced 
man  with  her,  and  they  looked  at  all  the  pic- 
tures and  other  things  in  the  room,  and  talked 
much  with  her  father.  The  next  morning  he 
bade  the  child  come,  and  took  his  violin  in  its 
shabby  green  case  under  one  arm,  and  went  out 
holding  the  hand  of  the  little  girl,  who  knew 
that  her  shoes  and  hat  and  dress  were  all  rent 
and  soiled.  They  walked  on  and  on  and  on  out 
of  the  crowded  town  to  a  country  road,  and  she 
remembered  that  he  said,  "My  God,  has  it  come 
to  this!"  when  they  stopped  in  front  of  a  large 

mansion,  and  he  began  to  play.     They  walked 
9 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

all  day,  and  people  gave  them  a  few  pennies  and 
some  cold  food.  It  was  dusk  when  they  rapped 
at  the  door  of  a  comfortable  house  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Chester,  and  asked  leave  to  lie  on  the 
hay  in  the  barn  that  night.  A  gentle  woman, 
who  had  come  to  the  door  and  listened  with 
pitying  eyes  to  the  father's  story,  gave  them  a 
warm  supper.  The  man  was  allowed  to  go  to 
the  barn  to  sleep,  but  the  child  was  given  a 
small  bed  in  the  house.  She  did  not  leave  the 
bed  for  many  days,  for  fever  came  on,  and  as 
her  mind  wandered  she  did  not  ask  for  her 
father  for  a  long  time.  One  day,  when  she  in- 
quired for  him,  the  kind  woman  who  cared  for 
her  told  her  that  he  had  gone  to  be  with  her 
mother.  She  did  not  know  then  that  he  had 
died  that  first  night  of  their  wanderings.  He 
had  always  been  associated  in  her  memory  with 
poverty,  hunger,  cold,  and  loneliness,  but  she 
had  belonged  to  him,  and  when  she  found  that 
she  could  see  him  no  more  she  felt  what  a  lost 
child  suffers  in  the  streets  of  a  great  city,  with 
the  underlying  agony  of  the  knowledge  that 
there  was  no  home  for  the  seeking.  The  bark 

that  towed  the  little  boat  on  life's  ocean  may 
10 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

have  been  itself  but  a  derelict,  but  when  the 
rope  parted  and  the  larger  craft  went  down  the 
waves  seemed  more  powerful  and  merciless  than 
before. 

When  Mary  grew  strong  enough  to  be  of  use 
in  the  household  her  protector  sent  her  to  a 
friend,  a  milliner  in  a  neighboring  village,  for 
whom  the  child  learned  to  wash  dishes,  to  run 
errands,  and  later  to  assist  in  waiting  on 
customers.  She  had  a  few  terms  at  the  school- 
house  on  the  green,  where  she  made  progress 
out  of  all  proportion  to  the  opportunity  allowed 
her.  When  the  milliner's  widowed  sister  and 
four  children  came  to  share  the  slender  income 
of  the  little  shop  Mary  became  the  maid  of  all 
work,  with  her  pay  in  board  and  clothes.  Life 
became  stern  and  monotonous.  She  felt  thirsty 
for  books,  but  she  had  little  time  to  read.  She 
was  conscious  of  ability  to  learn  to  paint,  to 
master  a  musical  instrument.  Once  she  took 
her  father's  old  violin  from  its  case,  and  tried  to 
feel  her  way  on  the  two  unbroken  strings,  but 
they  seemed  to  mock  her  with  such  horrible 
discords  that  she  felt  as  if  a  demon  barred  her 

way,  an  opposition  which  was  more  tangibly 
11 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

expressed  in  the  person  of  the  milliner's  sister, 
who  declared  that  the  fiddle  was  Satan's  own, 
and  for  her  part  she  "wouldn't  live  under  the 
same  roof  with  the  ungodly  thing."  The  violin 
was  sold  for  a  song  to  the  German  gardener  at 
Judge  Wellford's,  and  Mary's  only  tears  were 
shed  out  in  the  meadow,  lying  in  the  long  grass 
and  detaining  a  quail  from  its  nest  by  her  soft 
sobbing. 

Mary  loved  the  sound  of  the  wind  in  the 
trees,  the  patter  of  rain  on  the  roof,  the  rustle 
of  autumn  leaves.  She  longed  to  know  flowers 
and  birds.  She  was  sent  to  Sunday  school,  but 
the  teacher  was  a  shallow  young  girl,  who  was 
not  interested  in  the  pupil  with  the  Cecilian 
face  and  roughened  hands,  and  was  still  less 
concerned  about  the  lesson.  The  milliner  had 
given  the  child  a  fine-print  Testament,  which 
the  orphan  read  at  every  opportunity,  but  the 
Christ  who  charmed  her  lonely  little  soul  was 
purely  objective.  She  dreamed  once  that  she 
was  one  of  the  children  that  he  laid  his  hands 
upon  in  blessing,  and  awoke  stretching  her  poor, 
thin  little  arms  in  the  darkness,  to  find  it  was 

only  a  dream.     One  winter,  while  attending 
12 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

revival  services  she  responded  readily  to  an  invi- 
tation to  give  herself  to  God,  and  believed  that 
he  pardoned  her  sins  through  Jesus  Christ,  but 
she  had  yet  to  learn  the  day-by-day  friendship 
of  the  Saviour,  and  she  worshiped  with  a  vague, 
remote  sense  of  his  interest  in  her  life.  She  had 
observed  some  beautiful  friendships,  and  it 
seemed  to  her  that  human  love  could  satisfy 
her  and  make  amends  for  the  hard  denials  of 
life. 

Xathaniel  West,  even  as  a  young  man,  was 
much  respected  in  the  church  and  community, 
and  when  he  sought  the  company  of  the  girl  at 
Miss  Kelsey's,  and  later  asked  her  to  be  his  wife, 
many  a  village  maiden  looked  on  with  surprise 
and  envy.  He  was  a  silent  lover,  but  his  sub- 
stantial character  was  like  a  rock  in  a  weary 
land  to  the  friendless  and  homeless  girl  who  had 
always  borne  the  heat  and  burden  of  the  day. 
She  had  her  secret  thought,  too,  that  perhaps 
when  the  strangeness  of  the  new  association  had 
worn  away  his  eyes  would  oftener  rest  upon  her 
with  that  look  of  deep  devotion  with  which  they 
had  softened  when  he  had  received  her  answer, 

or  that  he  might  sometimes  even  give  her  a 
2  13 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

playful  caress.  But  Nathaniel  West,  while  he 
would  have  died  for  love,  would  also  rather  die 
than  to  deal  it  out  daily  in  those  precious 
morsels  upon  which  women's  hearts  thrive  and 
grow  glad  and  strong.  Nathaniel  never  found 
fault  with  his  wife,  but,  on  the  other  hand,  he 
never  kissed  her.  He  considered  it  a  weakness. 
She,  however,  like  most  of  her  sex,  could  over- 
look a  moderate  amount  of  criticism  if  it  were 
well  interspersed  with  loverlike  attentions. 

Mary  had  not  been  long  married  when  she 
had  ceased  to  expect  any  such  demonstrations 
from  the  grave,  abstracted  companion  of  her 
life  journey.  She  was  too  proud  to  express  her 
disappointment,  and  she  smothered  her  own  in- 
clination to  talk  about  their  love,  or  to  betray 
it  in  the  many  small  ways  for  which  a  genuine 
woman  has  no  need  of  a  teacher.  She  set  her- 
self to  be  content  to  bear  the  name  of  a  good 
man,  to  keep  his  house  in  order  and  prepare  his 
food,  to  know  the  run  of  his  business,  while  her 
heart  ached  for  that  tender  communion  which 
the  very  pain  of  longing  proved  to  be  possible. 
One  night  she  stood  in  a  dream  in  a  rotunda 

lined  with  closed  doors.    One  door  was  marked 
14 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"Wealth,"  but  she  did  Dot  try  the  handle.  She 
would  have  liked  more  ease  from  her  daily 
work,  but  her  eyes  caught  the  lettering  of  other 
doors  much  more  attractive.  One  was  "Music." 
She  rushed  eagerly  to  open  it,  but  it  was  se- 
curely fastened.  "Art"  also  resisted  her  strong- 
est efforts  to  enter.  "Affinities"  seemed  barred 
to  her  touch.  The  last  door  was  marked 
"Love."  It  stood  ajar.  She  knocked  timidly. 
A  hand  with  a  deep  scar  in  the  palm  opened 
the  door.  She  beheld  a  face  so  glorious  and 
wise  and  tender  and  pure  and  sympathetic  that 
her  soul  leaped  within  her  and  she  cried,  "Who 
art  thou,  Lord?"  And  a  voice  said,  "I  am  Je- 
sus." She  saw  beyond  a  beautiful  landscape  of 
hills  and  groves  and  fountains,  and  all  manner 
of  pleasant  fruits  and  choice  flowers. 

She  awoke,  and  knew  the  significance  of  the 
vision.  Her  life  was  to  be  in  Christ.  The 
alabaster  box  of  her  soul's  sweetness  was  to  be 
broken,  at  his  feet.  The  beautiful  things  of  this 
world  were  denied  her,  but  the  fountain  of  all 
blessedness  was  free  to  her.  She  absorbed  the 
Christ-life.  She  walked  in  that  Light.  She 

found  an  alchemy  that  changed  her  daily  tasks 
15 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

into  incense  to  the  Eternal  One.  Her  kitchen 
became  a  temple  where  she  did  service  as  the 
angels.  She  did  not  withdraw  herself  from 
others.  Many  a  home  knew  her  gentle  step 
and  healing  sympathy.  The  plain  little  meet- 
inghouse became  a  cathedral  when  she  knelt 
there.  When  her  children  came  to  her,  first 
Helen,  and  two  years  later  Eloise,  she  received 
them  with  awe,  as  one  whom  God  had  honored 
with  a  great  trust,  and  felt  aright  that  her  work 
was  not  secondary  to  any  in  the  universe.  Helen 
was  a  vigorous  child  from  birth,  and  well-en- 
dowed mentally.  She  was  also  beautiful,  espe- 
cially when  in  animated  conversation,  for  then 
there  was  a  dancing  light  in  her  large  dark  eyes, 
and  her  cheery  smile  revealed  her  perfect 
teeth.  Even  as  a  young  girl  her  carriage  was 
marked  by  its  dignified  and  graceful  poise. 
Eloise  was  ethereal  in  her  beauty.  She  was  less 
robust  than  Helen  in  body  and  mind,  but  with 
a  livelier  fancy,  a  more  agile  grace.  Int  Helen 
the  father's  rugged  conscience  was  dominant 
over  the  mother's  gentleness.  In  Eloise  there 
was  a  singular  lack  of  seriousness,  but  a  remark- 
able amiability,  and  a  faculty  of  adaptation  to 
10 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

people  that  made  her  a  general  favorite.  Helen 
had  a  strong  bent  to  literary  pursuits,  and 
Eloise  was  fond  of  music,  for  which  she  had  so 
much  talent  as  to  scorn  the  drudgery  of  appli- 
cation, and  would  therefore  forfeit  any  marked 
success.  Mrs.  West  had  determined  from  their 
earliest  years  that  her  daughters  should  receive 
the  advantages  that  she  herself  had  been  obliged 
to  forego,  and  Helen  entered  with  enthusiasm 
into  her  mother's  purpose.  Eloise  had  her  day- 
dreams of  less  serious  matters.  Sunnyslope  was 
not  so  remote  from  the  great  centers  of  com- 
mercial and  social  life  as  to  be  deprived  of  all 
glimpses  of  the  brilliant  luxury  and  ease  into 
which  most  people  put  a  large  income.  There 
were  several  old  homesteads  in  the  village  whose 
doors  frequently  opened  to  returning  sons  and 
daughters  from  Boston  and  New  York,  who 
brought  with  them  into  the  sleepy  content  of 
the  quaint  New  England  town  hints  and  flavors 
and  sounds  of  an  alluring  sort  to  the  delicate 
and  imaginative  Eloise.  She  was  more  sensitive 
to  a  bit  of  color,  to  the  softness  of  fine  fur,  to 
the  fine  fragility  of  a  piece  of  rare  china  than 

her  sister,  but  far  less  responsive  than  Helen  to 
17 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

a  demand  upon  her  moral  nature.  Self-denial 
and  plodding  industry  had  no  charms  for  her, 
but  she  shirked  the  less  desirable  tasks  of  the 
'home  so  gracefully  as  to  cast  a  glamour  over  her 
delinquencies. 

We  have  left  Helen  for  some  moments  at  her 
open  window,  busily  engaged  with  pleasant 
thoughts.  She  was  now  just  seventeen  years  old, 
and  had  prepared  to  enter  a  certain  celebrated 
college  for  women.  It  had  never  for  one  mo- 
ment seemed  possible  that  she  could  actually 
go,  as  her  father's  means  were  narrow;  but  her 
mother  had  been  often  in  prayer  on  the  subject, 
and  was  fond  of  quoting  to  the  impetuous  girl, 
"No  good  thing  will  He  withhold  from  them 
that  walk  uprightly." 

A  distant  relative  had  most  unexpectedly  died 
and  left  a  small  house  to  Mr.  West,  and  he  had 
promised  Helen  to  sell  it  if  possible  and  put  the 
proceeds  into  her  college  course.  A  purchaser 
had  been  found,  and  on  the  day  before  our  story 
opens  Mr.  West  had  received  the  cash  that 
brought  Helen's  uncertainty  to  a  bright  end. 
She  had  already  been  to  the  seat  of  the  chosen 

institution,  and  had  passed  the  entrance/  ex- 
18 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

animations  in  the  most  creditable  manner. 
This  was  of  itself  enough  to  fill  the  girl's  cup 
with  delight;  but  there  was  yet  another  element 
in  the  brimming  elixir,  and  the  consciousness  of 
it  softened  her  eyes  and  transfused  her  face  and 
neck  with  a  faint  flush.  The  village  doctor  had 
lived  just  across  the  street  from  the  Wests  be- 
fore Helen  was  born,  and  his  son  Harry  had  al- 
ways been  Helen's  favorite  companion.  Harry 
was  two  years  the  elder,  and  had  assumed  an 
air  of  protection  from  the  first  time  that  they 
toddled  off  to  infant  class  together,  and  Helen 
had  fallen  fast  asleep  on  the  bench,  only  saved 
from  a  tumble  by  Harry's  sturdy  but  aching 
little  arm.  They  were  a  pair  of  as  mischievous 
youngsters  as  ever  explored  pantry  shelves,  or 
decorated  Jay's  Morning  and  Evening  Exercises 
with  Mother  Goose  pictures.  They  had  shared 
their  village  schooldays;  and  when  Harry  went 
out  of  the  place  to  attend  a  preparatory  school 
for  Yale,  Helen  had  managed  by  the  help  of 
Judge  Denham  and  the  minister  to  keep  pace 
with  him,  and  to  surprise  him  at  the  next  va- 
cation by  coming  off  first  in  a  mutual  game  of 

quiz.     No  word  of  love  or  marriage  had  ever 
19 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

passed  between  them,  but  at  the  last  Easter 
vacation  the  hearty  good  fellowship  of  child- 
hood and  youth  had  given  place  to  a  sort  of 
awkward  restraint  unintelligible  to  either. 
They  had  joined  the  church  together  on  a  six 
months'  probation,  as  is  the  custom  in  the  de- 
nomination to  which  their  parents  belonged, 
and  were  now,  in  June,  to  be  received  with 
several  other  young 'people  into  full  member- 
ship. Harry  had  received  special  leave  of 
absence,  and  had  arrived  home  late  on  Saturday 
evening.  Helen  had  not  seen  him  yet,  but  a 
little  note  that  came  on  Saturday  noon  had  ex- 
pressed a  desire  that  the  day  that  marked  their 
Christian  lives  with  a  white  stone  might  be 
memorable  also  in  the  annals  of  their  friend- 
ship. Helen  thought  of  what  she  had  to  tell 
Harry  about  her  prospect  of  going  to  college, 
but  the  intuition  of  what  he  had  to  say  to  her 
set  her  heart  beating  wildly. 

A  gentle  rap  at  Helen's  door  caused  her  to 
turn  swiftly  from  the  window  to  admit  her 
mother,  who  stood  at  the  threshold  in  her  white 
dimity  gown,  her  heavenly  eyes  glowing  with  the 

light  of  the  Presence  within  her  soul. 
20 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"Good  morning,  mamma,"  said  Helen,  almost 
reverenthr;  "come  in." 

"Good  morning,  dear,"  said  Mrs.  West,  kiss- 
ing Helen's  forehead,  and  softly  passing  her 
fingers  over  the  wavy  dark  hair.  "Your  father 
is  making  the  fire,  and  Eloise  is  still  asleep, 
so  I  think  that  we  may  have  a  few  moments  to- 
gether. It  is  a  sacred  day  in  your  life,  my  child, 
and  also  in  mine." 

"0,  mamma,"  said  Helen,  as  she  drew  a  rock- 
ing-chair forward  for  her  mother  and  sat  down 
herself  on  the  floor  in  an  old-time  childish 
fashion  of  hers,  leaning  her  face  against  her 
mother's  knees,  "niy  heart  fairly  aches  with  joy. 
There's  the  church,  you  know,  and  college  and 
— and — Harry  and  all!" 

Mrs.  West  sat  silent  for  a  few  moments,  and  a 
neighboring  robin  filled  the  room  with  his  song 
of  praise.  Then  she  quoted  softly: 

"  '  Jesus,  thou  Joy  of  loving  hearts ! 

Thou  Fount  of  life !  thou  Light  of  men  ! 
From  the  best  bliss  that  earth  imparts, 
We  turn  unfilled  to  thee  again.' 

"Helen,  dear,  try  this  morning  to  separate 

yourself  from  all  but  the  best.     You  are  to 
21 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

give  yourself  publicly  to  God  and  his  church, 
and  I  long  for  your  consecration  to  be  not  a 
form  alone,  but  truly  of  the  Spirit.'' 

Again  silence,  while  the  sunshine  streamed 
across  the  white  room,  and  the  robin  seemed 
to  sing  his  heart  out  in  the  old  cherry  tree. 

"The  Father's  purpose  for  each  of  his  chil- 
dren," continued  Mrs.  West,  as  she  caressed  the 
bowed  head  beside  her,  "is  to  conform  eac'h  to 
the  image  of  his  Son.  You  often  hear  people 
quote  from  Eomans,  'All  things  work  together 
for  good  to  them  that  love  God,'  as  if  the  'good' 
were  a  general  indefinite  betterment  of  condi- 
tion. But  if  you  read  the  whole  passage  care- 
fully you  will  see  that  the  good  the  apostle 
meant  is  that  'we  should  be  conformed  to  the 
image  of  his  Son.'  Helen,  since  I  learned  that 
truth  it  has  shone  like  a  star  above  my  life. 
Not  a  day  and  not  a  duty  but  is  sent  to  further 
that  glorious  purpose.  Denials  and  delights, 
hard  work  uninteresting  in  itself,  as  well  as  the 
hours  of*  rest,  sickness  and  sorrow  and  disap- 
pointment are  all  the  Father's  instruments  to 
shape  the  image.  It  is  slow  work,  and  much  of 

it  is  painful.     Chiseling  is  tedious,  and  the 
22 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

stroke  of  the  hammer  startles  and  hurts,  and  the 
polishing  process  is  wearisome,  until  we  get 
a  clear  vision  of  the  pattern,  Jesus  Christ,  and 
know  that  we  are  to  be  like  him!  This  is  the 
prize  of  our  high  calling,  to  stand  at  last  with- 
out spot  or  wrinkle  or  any  such  thing,  presented 
faultless  in  the  presence  of  his  glory  with  ex- 
ceeding joy.  Helen,  there  is  no  soul  so  low,  so 
ignorant,  so  weak  but  has  this  possibility 
wrapped  within  it.  This  is  why  God  goes  to 
such  expense  for  us,  and  why  we  should  pour 
out  our  lives  for  others." 

Helen  lifted  her  eyes  to  her  mother's  face  and 
said:  "Mother,  dear,  there  aren't  many  such 
saints  as  you!" 

"Hush,  child!"  she  replied,  in  tender  re- 
proach. "There  is  nothing  of  me  but  the  grace 
of  God.  I  want  this  morning  to  impart  to  you 
the  open  secret  of  all  blessedness.  You  have 
different  sources  of  joy  and  pleasure  to-day. 
What  I  tell  you  can  make  you  independent  of 
every  earthly  delight,  and  still  leave  you  satis- 
fied at  the  center  of  your  soul,  and  happy  be- 
yond all  account.  I  do  not  ask  you  to  give  up 

your  friend,  nor  that  desire  for  education  which 
23 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

I  have  done  my  best  to  foster  in  you,  but  to 
give  them  to  God.  Giving  up  and  giving  to 
God  are  two  very  different  experiences.  All 
the  pure  and  good  and  useful  things  that  we 
yield  to  him  he  takes  and  utilizes  and  multi- 
plies and  glorifies  and  pours  back  into  our 
bosoms  in  blessed  increase  of  richness  and 
power.  The  evil  we  should  be  glad  to  let  him 
cast  away,  for  we  cannot  wittingly  keep  it  and 
keep  him.  I  did  not  mean  to  say  so  much  to 
you,  but  you  will  bear  with  mother." 

Helen  pressed  to  her  lips  the  hands  that  had 
become  hard  and  unshapely  by  years  of  toil, 
beautiful  hands  in  the  sight  of  heaven  bearing 
the  stamp  of  the  Order  of  Useful  Saints. 

"Mamma,"  said  Helen,  "I  will  remember 
every  word.  Will  you  pray  with  me?" 

They  knelt  together  beside  Helen's  bed,  and 
Mary  West  prayed  for  her  firstborn  with  a  di- 
rectness and  simplicity  of  faith  that  seemed  to 
wing  its  way  to  the  very  heart  of  love  and 
power.  Then  they  arose  and  went  down  to  pre- 
pare the  simple  morning  meal.  Just  before  the 
first  bell  rang  for  service  Harry  came  over  and 

inquired  for  Helen,  who  had  disappeared  in  the 
24 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

cool  depths  of  the  orchard.  He  walked  on  up 
the  garden  path  to  the  gray  gate.  He  could  see 
the  gleam  of  her  white  muslin  gown  between 
the  trees.  She  suddenly  turned  and  saw  him 
coming  rapidly  toward  her,  tall  and  command- 
ing, eager  but  self-controlled,  and  she  could  not 
run  to  meet  him  as  once  she  would  have  done. 
A  rush  of  color  swept  her  face,  leaving  her 
pale  and  faint,  but  she  held  out  her  hand  and 
said: 

"I  am  glad  to  see  you,  Harry." 

She  did  not  meet  his  eyes  as  he  took  her 
hand,  for  quick  tears  brimmed  her  own. 

"Helen,"  said  he,  "did  you  ever  know  such  a 
morning,  so  full  of  beauty  and  hope  and  the 
glory  of  God!" 

"I've  been  trying  ever  since  I  woke,"  she  re- 
plied, "to  sing  what  I  cannot  put  into  words.- 
Even  the  Te  Deum  does  not  satisfy  me.  The 
robins  and  the  daisies  and  the  sunshine  all  seem 
to  praise  God  as  I  cannot." 

"I  have  not  told  you,  Helen,"  said  Harry,  as 
they  slowly  strolled  toward  the  board  seat  be- 
tween the  trees  at  the  end  of  the  path,  "that 

within  a  few  weeks  I  have  received  a  clear  call 
25 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

to  preach  the  Gospel.  You  know  that  father 
had  set  his  heart  on  seeing  me  a  famous  sur- 
geon, and  my  studies  were  begun  with  that  end 
in  view.  But  the  call  has  sounded  in  my  ears 
day  and  night." 

"And  what  do  you  say,  Harry?" 

"I  have  said,  'Wait,  wait;'  I  have  said,  'I  am 
unworthy;'  I  have  wept  and  prayed  and  be- 
sought that  another  might  take  my  place." 

"And  wear  your  crown — 0,  Harry!" 

She  looked  full  in  his  face  now  with  fear  and 
reproach  in  her  eyes. 

"No,  Helen,  it  is  all  over  now.  Last  night  on 
the  train  I  said,  'Here  am  I,  send  me!'  I  feel  as 
if  a  mountain  had  been  lifted  from  me.  I  told 
father  and  mother  before  breakfast,  and  at 
family  devotions  poor  father  broke  down  in  his 
prayer.  It  is  the  greatest  disappointment  of  his 
life.  But  mother  took  the  prayer  right  up  and 
went  on  and  thanked  God  that  he  had  chosen 
me  to  bind  up  the  broken-hearted,  and  after- 
ward we  all  three  had  a  downright  good  talk 
together,  and  it's  all  settled;  that  is — Helen," 
and  he  took  her  hands  in  his,  "dear  Helen,  will 

you  share  my  lifework?" 
2G 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

The  girl's  face  was  lifted  with  a  love  and 
loyalty  thereon  that  could  never  know  change  or 
doubt  or  shadow  that  is  cast  hy  turning,  a  love 
that  could  endure  silence  and  absence  and  death 
itself  and  still  love  on.  It  was  a  look  like  the 
music  of  a  song  without  words,  and  Harry  was 
content  with  his  answer. 

Just  then  the  bells  warned  them  that  it  was 
time  to  start  for  church.  It  was  a  memorable 
service.  The  plain  little  sanctuary  was  beauti- 
ful with  ferns  and  roses  and  bright  faces.  A 
number  of  young  men  and  women  took  their 
places  at  the  altar  to  unite  with  God's  people. 
Harry  and  Helen  both  felt  that  it  was  a  privi- 
lege to  bring  their  new  happiness  there  for  the 
Father's  blessing.  Poor  and  fleeting  are  the 
jo}-s  that  he  cannot  smile  upon.  Separated  by 
a  dozen  other  candidates,  yet  conscious  of  a  per- 
fect union  of  thought  and  purpose,  these  two 
faced  each  other  as  they  repeated  the  solemn 
vows  of  the  ritual.  But  when  they  knelt  to 
receive  the  holy  communion  they  saw  no  one 
save  Jesus  only. 

"Lord,  I  will  follow  thee  whithersoever  thou 
goest,"  breathed  Helen.  It  was  a  pledge  that 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

did  not  rend  her  heartstrings,  for  it  seemed  to 
her  that  her  every  desire  ran  parallel  with  the 
will  of  God.  That  afternoon  she  told  Harry 
that  the  door  had  opened  for  her  into  a  college 
career.  He  had  not  a  nature  that  would  be- 
grudge to  a  woman  the  highest  development  of 
which  she  is  capable,  but  the  thought  that 
Helen  might  become  attracted  by  some  profes- 
sion that  would  discount  domestic  joys  and  so 
sweep  her  away  from  him  moderated  his  sym- 
pathy with  her  gratified  ambition.  He  said  as 
much,  confessing  himself  to  be  selfish  beyond 
remedy,  but  Helen  declared  that  the  highest 
vocation  of  any  woman  is  to  love  and  be  loved, 
and  that  a  college  course  would  help  her  to 
adorn  that  calling.  So  they  sat  in  the  orchard 
all  that  gleaming  afternoon,  and  built  their 
castles  for  the  future,  and  mingling  with  their 
happy  day-dreaming  was  the  sound  of  the  old 
violin,  long  since  bought  back  from  the  gar- 
dener ;  for  the  child  Eloise  was  playing  melodies 
from  the  church  hymnal,  interweaving  their 
stately  measures  with  quaint  flights  of  her  own 
fancy. 

The  summer  vacation  passed  rapidly,  filled 
28 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

with  many  outings,  readings  from  favorite 
books,  and  studies  of  birds  and  wild  flowers. 
Helen  performed  her  share  in  the  household 
duties  as  conscientiously  as  of  old,  but  so  ab- 
sorbed was  she  in  her  pleasures  that  she  failed 
to  see  that  her  mother's  step  was  growing 
feeble.  Even  when  they  sat  together  in  the 
vine-shaded  porch,  sewing  and  chatting  by  the 
hour,  Helen  did  not  notice  that  the  dear  hands 
sometimes  dropped  their  work  and  lay  listless 
for  a  time  as  if  unable  to  take  another  stitch. 
It  was  near  the  end  of  the  vacation,  and  Helen's 
trunk  had  been  brought  down  into  the  front 
hall.  Mother  and  daughter  began  to  realize 
what  it  would  be  to  be  separated  for  the  first 
time  in  their  lives,  and  as  Mrs.  West  packed  the 
trunk,  nowr  and  then  stowing  away  a  little  note, 
a  new  ribbon,  a  box  of  sweets,  or  a  new  book, 
a  tear  sometimes  fell  upon  the  garment  she  was 
folding.  The  night  before  Helen  was  to  start 
on  her  journey  to  college  Mrs.  West  had  put  the 
finishing  touches  to  the  pretty  gray  traveling 
gown,  and  had  laid  it  out  on  the  spare-room  bed 
with  hat  and  gloves  and  even  a  dainty  hand- 
kerchief and  new  pocketbook.  Helen  had 
3  29 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

hovered  over  the  proceeding  like  a  bride  over 
her  trousseau,  occasionally  bestowing  a  swift 
hug  or  kiss  upon  the  dear  burden-bearer,  when 
suddenly  the  scales  fell  from  her  eyes  and  she 
saw  that  her  mother  looked  worn  and  that  she 
breathed  with  some  difficulty. 

"Mamma,  dear,"  she  cried,  "you  are  ill.  I 
must  not  go  and  leave  you." 

"Dearie,  you  know  that  I  always  feel  the 
warm  weather,  and  am  a  trifle  tired.  Then, 
too,  I  am  such  a  foolish  old  mother  that  it  is 
hard  to  let  you  out  of  my  sight.  But  Eloise  is 
going  to  be  a  great  deal  of  company  for  me. 
How  well  the  child  plays!" 

Eloise  was  practicing  on  her  violin,  and 
the  pathetic  notes  of  a  simple  German  air,  "Du, 
du,  liegst  mir  am  Herzen,"  floated  up  the  stair- 
case. Helen  could  never  listen  to  it  again  in 
all  the  after  years  without  a  vision  of  that  mo- 
ment— the  cool,  shady  front  chamber  all  in 
pleasant  confusion  with  the  final  preparations 
for  her  journey,  the  white  muslin  curtains  blow- 
ing gently  in  the  breeze,  the  little  vase  of  late 
verbenas  on  the  bureau,  and  her  mother's 

gesture  of  gentle  command  to  cease  the  conver- 
30 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

sation  and  listen  to  the  young  musician.  They 
stood  there  arm  in  arm  in  the  doorway  for  a  few 
moments,  waiting  to  surprise  the  child  with  ap- 
plause, when  Harry  appeared  at  the  front  door, 
just  in  time  to  join  in  the  encore.  But  Eloise 
fled  with  her  instrument  to  her  own  room, 
and  Harry  inquired  through  the  screen  door  if 
he  might  get  some  supper  there,  as  he  was  will- 
ing to  work  for  it. 

Helen  came  down  and  asked  him  what  sort 
of  work  he  could  do,  and  he  proposed  a  game 
of  croquet. 

"We  don't  give  peach  shortcake  for  croquet," 
said  Helen,  soberly. 

"Peach  shortcake!"  replied  Harry.  "Lady, 
give  me  a  hoe,  a  hatchet,  a  lawn  mower — any- 
thing. I'm  not  above  earning  shortcake  by  the 
sweat  of  my  brow." 

"Well,  if  you  really  want  to  work,"  said 
Helen,  "you  may  walk  down  to  Mrs.  Dean's 
with  me  after  cream." 

They  strolled  along  the  pleasant  street  be- 
neath the  elms,  whose  shadows  stretched  far 
into  the  road  in  the  sunshine.  There  was  a 

cloud  on  Helen's  brow  and  in  her  heart. 
31 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"I  feel  troubled  about  mother,"  she  said. 

"Nothing  but  the  very  best  can  come  to  your 
mother,"  said  Harry,  gently. 

"Then  it  must  be  my  own  self  that  worries 
me." 

"Is  it  not  true  of  you  also,  Helen?" 

"What,  that  nothing  but  good  can  come  to 
me?  Yes,  I  suppose  so.  I  believe  it  with  my 
head,  at  least." 

"No,  if  you  really  believed  it  you  would  be 
comforted  by  it." 

"But  suppose  the  'good'  means  sorrow  and 
loss  and  disappointment?"  queried  Helen. 

"And  suppose  that  God  labels  some  of  our 
plans  'not  good?'"  replied  Harry,  "Would  we 
still  reach  out  toward  them,  and  weep?" 

"Yes,  I  am  sure  I  would,"  said  Helen,  half 
smiling,  "being  a  woman  and  not  a  philoso- 
pher." 

"Well,  I'm  not  going  to  waste  my  first  ser- 
mon on  an  audience  of  one,"  said  Harry,  cheer- 
ily, as  he  opened  Mrs.  Dean's  gate. 

"It  seems  to  me,"  said  Mrs.  Dean  as  she 
hastened  to  set  a  jar  of  cream  in  Helen's  basket, 

"that  your  mar  is  lookin'  drefful  peakid.     I 
32 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

wish  she'd  try  cherry  pictorial.  I  come  right  up 
on  it  a  year  ago." 

"What  mother  needs  is  a  good  rest,"  said 
Helen,  thanking  Mrs.  Dean  for  her  interest, 
but  she  turned  away  with  a  sudden  pain  in  her 
heart,  and  not  even  Harry's  merry  conjectures 
as  to  the  style  of  the  illustrations  in  Mrs. 
Dean's  remedy  brought  a  smile  to  her  face. 

But  when  they  reached  her  home  her  fore- 
bodings took  flight.  Mrs.  West  greeted  them 
so  brightly,  and  looked  so  lovely  in  her  white 
gown,  that  Helen  thought  that  her  cause  of 
fear  was  imaginary.  There  was  a  dainty  supper. 
Harry  was  in  his  gayest  mood,  and  even  aroused 
Mr.  West  out  of  his  usual  brown  study.  Mrs. 
West  had  determined  that  Helen's  last  evening 
at  home  should  be  a  pleasant  memory,  and  no 
hint  of  sadness  mingled  with  the  happy  talk 
of  the  future. 

After  the  little  feast  was  cleared  away  Harry 
carried  Helen  off  for  an  hour  with  his  mother. 
Then  they  went  for  a  little  row  on  the  river. 
It  was  a  brilliant  night,  for  the  full  moon  re- 
vealed even'  leaf  and  flower.  Helen  had  a  soft, 

fleecy  white  shawl  draped  around  her  head  and 
33 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

shoulders,  and  as  she  sat  trailing  her  fingers  in 
the  stream  Harry  had  need  to  be  reminded  of 
his  duty  as  oarsman. 

"See,"  said  Helen,  "we're  headed  right  for 
Middle  Kock." 

"Well,  if  we're  dashed  to  pieces  it  is  your 
fault  for  looking  so  distractingly  angelic/'  said 
Harry,  glancing  behind  him,  and  pulling  to  the 
right.  "That's  one  thing  I  hate  about  a  row- 
boat  on  an  occasion  like  this.  A  fellow  must 
either  be  a  Tantalus  or  risk  a  watery  grave  for 
two." 

"What  a  happy  summer  this  has  been!"  said 
Helen. 

"And  the  best  is  that  it  is  only  the  beginning 
of  a  lifetime  of  happy  summers  and  blessed 
winters,"  replied  Harry. 

"We  must  go  back  now,"  said  Helen,  after 
an  hour  had  passed  all  too  swiftly.  "You  know 
the  train  leaves  early  in  the  morning,  and  I 
Avant  a  little  chat  with  mother  before  bedtime." 

So  they  returned,  singing  as  they  went, 
Harry's  tenor  and  Helen's  rich  contralto  float- 
ing out  on  the  radiant  stillness  of  the  night. 

In  the  porch  of  her  home  Harry  took  her  face 
34 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

in  his  two  hands,  and  said  as  he  kissed  her 
good  night : 

"Dear  girl,  I  love  the  ground  under  your 
feet!" 

"Better  the  stars  over  my  head!"  smiled 
Helen. 

"I  fear  by  the  time  you  have  finished  college 
you  will  be  like  a  star,"  said  he,  "brilliant  but 
remote  to  a  poor  mortal  man  like  me." 

"Don't,  dear/'  she  replied,  laying  her  hand 
lightly  on  his  lips;"  starlight  is  not  the  best 
light  to  read  and  work  by.  I  only  aspire  to  be 
more  worthy  of  love,  God's  love  and  yours." 

It  was  yet  early  when  she  stepped  inside  the 
door,  but  the  house  seemed  strangely  still. 
Eloise  had  gone  to  a  lawn  fete  in  the  village, 
and  her  father  had  not  come  home  from  the 
store,  but  her  mother  was  not  on  the  couch  in 
the  sitting  room  nor  in  the  large  willow  rocker 
on  the  side  piazza. 

"Mamma!"  she  called,  but  no  answer. 

She  sped  up  the  stairway,  and  into  her 
mother's  room.  The  slender,  white-robed  figure 
was  kneeling  beside  the  window.  The  head  was 

bowed  upon  her  arms.    Helen  started  to  with- 
35 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

draw,  thinking  that  she  had  disturbed  her 
mother  at  prayer,  but  again  turned  and  crept 
back  softly  and  knelt  beside  her,  putting  an 
arm  around  the  beloved  form.  Almost  imme- 
diately, with  a  sudden,  awful  fear,  she  sprang  to 
her  feet  crying: 

"Mamma,  dear,  dear  mamma!" 

There  was  no  response.  The  room  was  as 
light  as  day,  but  as  Helen  tenderly  lifted  her 
mother's  head  she  saw  upon  her  face  the  bright- 
ness of  that  land  where  they  have  no  need  of 
the  sun,  neither  of  the  moon,  to  give  them 
light.  The  next  day,  upon  the  floor  near  the 
window,  Helen  picked  up  a  half  sheet  of  note 
paper  upon  which  had  been  traced  a  few  falter- 
ing lines.  The  following  spring  in  the  verbena 
bed  beneath  the  casement,  they  found  the 
pencil  that  the  weak  fingers  had  dropped.  The 
note  read  as  follows: 

"DARLING  HELEN:  Take  good  care  of  father 
and  Eloise.  God  is  with  you,  and  with  me.  The 
gates  are  wide — " 

It  is  twenty  years  later  when  we  resume  our 

story. 

36 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 


CHAPTER  II 

ABOUT  an  hour's  ride  from  New  York  city 
on  the  outskirts  of  a  sleepy  little  village  stood 
Mrs.  Knight's  boarding  school  for  girls.  Its 
somewhat  mixed  architecture  readily  yielded 
to  the  imaginative  mind  a  hint  as  to  the  history 
of  the  institution.  The  central  part  of  the 
structure  was  evidently  once  an  elegant  private 
residence  whose  walls  of  rough  gray  stone 
crowned  an  elevation  that  commanded  a  far- 
stretching  prospect  of  river  and  hills.  Class 
ivies  had  done  their  best  to  conceal  the  fact  that 
the  great  transverse  addition  to  the  original 
house  was  of  wood;  and  several  pretty  cottages 
about  the  grounds  were  also  embowered  in  lux- 
uriant creepers.  The  wide  lawns  were  shaded 
by  fine  old  elms  and  maples,  and  at  the  carriage 
entrance,  one  on  each  side  of  the  iron  gate, 
stood  two  tall,  gaunt  poplars  once  named  by 
some  schoolgirl  "The  Monitors." 

Fifty  years  ago  the  statety  stone  house  was 
built  by  a  Xew  York  merchant  for  his  bride. 

She  was  an  English  girl   who  had  come   to 
37 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

America  to  visit  relatives,  little  dreaming  that 
her  return  to  England  ever  after  would  be  but 
for  a  visit,  and  home  would  be  that  same  semi- 
barbarous  land  that  returned  travelers  had  por- 
trayed in  sarcastic  vein.  This  house  and  the 
grounds  were  her  husband's  marriage  gift  to 
her,  for  even  as  that  ancient  king  of  Babylon 
sought  to  content  his  mountain-born  wife  with 
the  flowery  terraces  of  the  Hanging  Gardens, 
so  with  gray  walls  and  velvety,  well-shaded 
greenswards  did  the  American  lover  plan  to 
make  the  strange  surroundings  of  a  new 
country  seem  homelike  to  his  English  bride. 
There  were  a  few  joyous  years  in  the  new  home, 
but  financial  losses  came,  followed  by  the  death 
of  the  husband.  There  were  claims  against  the 
estate  that  could  not  be  met  by  it,  and  the 
widow  felt  that  conscience  demanded  that  no 
creditor  should  lose  while  she  had  any  re- 
sources. The  alternative  was  before  her  of 
sacrificing  her  home  or  her  own  small  private 
fortune.  She  chose  the  latter  course,  and  soon 
found  herself  in  the  singular  position  of  sitting 
down  to  a  dinner  of  bread  and  tea  in  a  room 

where   mirrors   reflected   costly   hangings  and 
38 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

gleaming  silver.  She  was  quick  to  determine 
on  her  future  course.  Her  only  child,  a  boy, 
must  be  reared  in  the  beautiful  home  where  he 
had  been  born.  She  was  fully  capable  of  lead- 
ing him  in  his  studies  up  to  the  university 
doors.  She  would  ask  for  other  people's  chil- 
dren to  educate  with  him. 

Her  beauty  and  culture  and  social  position 
made  a  picturesque  setting  to  her  honorable 
poverty  and  sad  bereavement,  and  fashionable 
society  made  a  pet  of  her  school.  From  the 
first  day  it  was  a  success.  She  taught  one  gen- 
eration of  children  herself  with  the  assistance 
of  the  choicest  talent  she  could  command.  Her 
son,  Leverett,  brilliant  and  promising,  when 
well  launched  in  the  law  married  a  young  lady 
of  good  birth  and  fine  presence,  who  brought 
him  no  other  dowry  than  her  own  personal 
attractions.  His  sudden  death  left  her  in  a 
position  to  accept  with  gratitude  Mrs.  Knight's 
offer  of  a  place  as  assistant  principal  in  her 
well-established  school.  As  the  years  went  by 
Mr?.  Leverett  Knight  became  more  and  more 
the  controlling  power  in  the  institution  and 

materially  changed  its  character.     She  was  a 
39 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

tall,  haughty  woman,  plausible,  insincere,  domi- 
nant, strategic,  and  always  stylish  and  bril- 
liant. Under  her  regime  the  school  became  less 
conscientious  and  thorough  in  its  training,  but 
such  was  its  remarkable  prestige  that  the  world 
was  long  in  discovering  that  standards  had 
been  lowered  to  meet  the  mental  capacities  of 
many  whose  purses  were  better  supplied  than 
their  heads.  None  but  the  daughters  of  the 
wealthy  could  pay  the  enormous  tuition  fees. 

Girls  were  there  from  Halifax  and  Los  Ange- 
les, from  Montreal  and  Bermuda,  girls  whose 
mothers  once  tripped  through  those  same  cor- 
ridors, and  yawned  behind  their  ^Eneid  in  the 
little  recitation  rooms,  and  wove  their  gay 
fancies  under  the  maples  walking  hand  in  hand 
in  the  immemorial  custom.  Some  of  the  girls 
had  brought  back  to  the  school  the  features, 
voices,  and  characteristics,  and  occasionally 
even  the  Christian  name  of  those  pupils  of  fif- 
teen or  twenty  years  before,  and  Mrs.  Knight 
sometimes  felt  that  she  must  be  nearly  a  quar- 
ter of  a  century  younger  than  she  had  sup- 
posed; and  only  the  sight  in  the  mirror  of  her 

snow-white  hair  would  convince  her  that  some 
40 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

sunny-faced  "Alice"  bending  over  a  grammar 
\vas  actually  the  daughter  of  a  graver  and  wiser 
"Alice"  presiding  over  some  distant  household. 
The  elder  Mrs.  Knight  was  usually  called 
"the  Madam"  in  public,  and  "Gram"  in  pri- 
vate, by  the  second  generation  of  girls.  She 
had  grown  lovely  with  the  years,  but  was  more 
and  more  dependent  on  her  daily  nap  and  a 
long  drive  before  tea.  Her  supervision  con- 
sisted for  the  most  part  in  an  occasional  visit 
to  the  classes,  and  in  entertaining  beautifully 
at  a  monthly  reception  to  which  each  pupil 
was  allowed  to  invite  two  friends.  One  after- 
noon in  each  week  some  four  of  the  boarders 
took  tea  with  her  in  her  dainty  drawing-room, 
and  the  heavy  snowy  table  linen,  the  delicate 
pink  china  and  fragile  cut  glass,  the  rich  silver 
and  the  single  rose  at  each  plate  were  very  at- 
tractive to  the  youthful  eyes  of  her  guests.  The 
"tea"  was  usually  chocolate,  that  beverage  be- 
loved by  schoolgirls,  and  there  were  always 
rolls  of  melting  lightness  and  fresh  fruit,  in 
the  winter,  sliced  oranges  piled  like  embodied 
Southern  sunshine  in  a  dish  of  Eussian  glass, 

and  one  kind  of  delicate  cake.     There  were  a 
41 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

few  girls  w'ho  had  been  rude  enough  to  whisper 
that  "the  Madam's"  entertainments  consisted  of 
a  "lily  and  a  glass  of  water,"  but  they  were 
promptly  and  indignantly  silenced  by  the 
others.  These  teas  came  to  each  quartet  but 
once  in  a  term,  and  were  occasions  of  great 
pleasure,  for  Mrs.  Knight  was  a  rare  hostess, 
and  had  the  faculty  of  putting  each  guest  com- 
pletely at  ease.  There  was  an  irresistible  at- 
traction in  the  tones  of  her  clear,  soft  voice, 
in  the  quiet  of  her  shapely  hands,  in  the  very 
folds  of  her  long  silken  robes.  A  brilliant  con- 
versationalist, her  reminiscences  of  travel  and 
short  chats  on  current  events  would  have  de- 
lighted any  circle,  much  more  the  impression- 
able girls  under  her  care.  If  Mrs.  Knight's 
winning,  cultured,  sweet  womanhood  had  been 
consecrated  to  Christ  how  potent  for  good 
would  have  been  those  little  afternoon  repasts! 
How  a  tender  acknowledgment  of  the  Father's 
love  would  have  glorified  the  exquisite  board! 
How  a  few  loving  words  and  perhaps  a  brief 
prayer  and  an  evening  hymn  as  the  twilight 
crept  in  at  the  windows  might  have  infused 

those  young  hearts  with  holy  purposes!    But 
42 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

Mrs.  Knight  was  only  a  lovely  apostle  of  world- 
liness,  with  no  more  comprehension  of  the  needs 
of  a  soul  than  the  Venus  de'  Medici  that  stood 
in  the  bay  window. 

There  was  a  form  of  religion  in  the  school. 
Morning  prayer  was  conducted  by  the  teacher 
of  mathematics,  Miss  Mallory,  and  always 
seemed  to  partake  of  the  dry  and  spiritless 
atmosphere  which  ever  surrounded  that  very 
stiff  and  angular  personage.  On  pleasant  Sun- 
day mornings  the  pupils  were  conducted  to  the 
only  church  in  the  village,  where  a  minister 
with  a  sepulchral  voice  that  echoed  dismally 
from  the  plain,  colorless  walls  made  the  place 
irksome  in  the  extreme.  As  Nel  Travers  whis- 
pered to  her  right-hand  neighbor,  "It  makes 
me  feel  as  if  I  want  to  be  wicked." 

Our  story  brings  us  to  a  certain  Wednesday 
following  the  annual  Easter  vacation.  It  was 
a  typical  April  day  of  sunshine  and  showers. 
Morning  and  afternoon  trains  left  groups  of 
girls  at  the  village  station,  and  the  two  or  three 
old  roekaways  and  ancient  steeds  that  usually 
waited  hopelessly  at  the  rear  platform  were 

kept  busy  all  day  long  carrying  their  loads  of 
43 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

chattering  and  laughing  passengers  out  to  the 
seminary.  Within  the  house  there  was  con- 
siderable confusion  and  but  partially  suppressed 
hilarity.  The  porter  toiled  along  the  corridors 
from  time  to  time  beneath  the  weight  of  a 
heavy  trunk  or  valise,  the  girls  flitted  in  and 
out  of  each  other's  rooms  to  exhibit  new  trink- 
ets or  talk  over  the  gayeties  of  the  vacation, 
and  through  half-closed  doors  came  bursts  of 
merriment  and  snatches  from  a  late  opera. 

The  rooms  were  divided  into  parlors  and 
sleeping  apartments.  Each  parlor  had  two 
bedrooms  opening  into  it,  thus  accommodating 
four  of  the  girls.  As  the  latter  were  required 
to  furnish  their  own  rooms,  some  of  the  suites 
were  very  tasteful  and  luxurious.  Parlor  num- 
ber eight  was  the  admiration  and  envy  of  all  the 
occupants  of  the  second  floor.  The  pupils  in 
number  eight  were  all  from  lavish  homes  ex- 
cept one  of  them,  Edyth  Wilsey,  who  had  no 
home,  but  whose  taste  and  means  had  given 
the  most  of  beauty  and  comfort  to  the  place. 
Just  now  the  pretty  little  parlor  presented  a 
scene  of  chaos  that  was  attractive  even  in  its 

apparent  hopelessness,  being  nearly  submerged 
44 


THE    KiNG's    GOLfi 


by  the  dainty  belongings  that  four  merry  girls 
were  dragging  forth  from  as  many  trunks.  No 
pupil  was  allowed  to  keep  a  trunk  in  her  room, 
and  the  porter  was  to  call  in  an  hour  to  take 
them  to  the  storeroom;  but  tongues  flew  faster 
than  fingers.  Furs  and  laces,  ribbons  and  fans, 
mingled  on  chairs  and  tables  with  boxes  of  bon- 
bons, new  novels  and  magazines,  and  silver 
toilet  .articles.  A  lovely  little  toque  wreathed 
in  violets  adorned  the  marble  bust  of  Sir  Walter 
Scott;  a  jar  of  mixed  pickles,  brought  tenderly 
by  hand  all  the  way  from  Baltimore  by  Eleanor 
Lee,  surmounted  the  mantel  clock;  a  couple  of 
banjos  hung  from  an  easel  where  St.  Cecilia's 
rapt  face  shone  above  her  organ  keys,  and  a  new 
chafing  dish  suggestive  of  future  surreptitious 
\Velsh  rarebits  peeped  out  from  under  a  pink 
organdie  evening  gown. 

The  four  girls  who  shared  this  suite  of  rooms 
were  in  the  senior  class.  Eleanor  Lee,  dubbed 
"Melpomene"  by  the  girls,  shortened  usually  to 
"Mel,"  was  tall,  dark,  and  slender,  with  a  great 
fondness  for  acids,  satire,  and  Poe's  "Baven." 
Daisy  Leslie,  Tier  chum,  was  a  golden-haired, 

dimpled,  easygoing  blonde,  thoroughly  spoiled 
4  45 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

at  home,  but  with  a  soft,  comfortable  disposi- 
tion, one  of  those  cushiony  people  who  make 
excellent  padding  for  the  nervous  temperaments 
of  others  to  knock  against.  Slow,  equable,  ami- 
able, but  saved  from  insipidity  by  the  very  ab- 
surdities of  her  provoking  inefficiency,  she  was 
also  generous  and  affectionate,  and  quite  a  pet 
in  the  school.  They  called  her  "the  Philoso- 
pher." Serene  Dudley,  named  "the  Princess," 
was  more  thoughtful  than  the  other  two;  as 
gentle  as  Daisy,  but  with  an  absorbing  love  for 
art  that  had  elevated  her  thoughts  above  the 
ordinary  ambitions  of  the  fashionable  school- 
girl, and  had  imparted  the  dignity  of  a  quiet 
determination  to  her  delicate,  expressive  face 
and  graceful  bearing.  There  was  a  dreamy, 
remote  air  about  her  at  times,  and  her  facile 
pencil  was  apt  to  stray  from  the  dull  French 
exercises,  filling  her  text-books  as  full  of  chil- 
dren's faces  as  were  those  of  Tommy  Traddles 
with  skeletons.  She  had  a  vein  of  humor  that 
lighted  up  her  rather  serious  nature,  and  a 
power  of  sarcasm  that  was  without  bitterness, 
but  was  keen  enough  to  be  feared.  If  the  girls 
had  dared  to  express  their  real  feelings  in  re- 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

gard  to  a  nickname  for  Edyth  Wilsey  they 
would  have  chosen  "the  Mystery,"  for  a  mystery 
she  was  even  to  herself.  As  it  was,  they  named 
her  "Old  Lovely." 

Twelve  years  before,  the  wife  of  the  captain 
of  a  Cunard  steamship  had  brought  the  bright- 
haired,  gray-eyed  little  girl  to  Madam  Knight. 
She  knew  but  little  about  the  child,  whose 
father  had  solicited  the  kindly  offices  of  the 
motherly  Englishwoman  to  keep  an  oversight  of 
her  and  her  French  maid  during  the  voyage, 
and  to  lodge  them  safely  in  the  most  desirable 
school  accessible  outside  of  New  York  city. 
Mrs.  Knight  was  informed  that  the  little 
Edyth's  mother  was  dead,  and  as  the  plea  to 
shelter  the  child  was  reinforced  by  the  extreme 
loveliness  of  the  gentle,  almost  friendless  tiny 
creature,  and  a  large  roll  of  banknotes  that  ex- 
ceeded the  cost  of  a  year's  board  and  tuition, 
Mrs.  Knight  ventured  with  many  misgivings 
to  receive  such  a  peculiar  charge;  but  the  refer- 
ence to  a  London  banker  resulted  in  a  terse  but 
satisfactory  reply,  and  Edyth  entered  upon  a 
long  residence  in  the  seminary.  She  was  then 

in  her  seventh  year.    The  maid  remained  until 
47 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

her  twelfth  birthday,  but  had  never  been  in- 
duced to  impart  any  special  information  about 
her  young  mistress. 

Edyth's  father  visited  her  once  in  a  few  years, 
and  as  she  grew  older  he  arranged  long  journeys 
for  the  summer  vacations.  He  was  a  dark,  si- 
lent, stern-visaged  man,  who  spent  most  of  his 
time  in  Europe.  There  was  always  an  un- 
natural constraint  in  their  relations,  and  it  was 
with  a  mutual  feeling  of  relief  that  they  parted. 
He  kept  his  daughter  well  supplied  with  pocket 
money  at  times,  but  there  were  intervals  when 
she  could  hardly  afford  a  postage  stamp  or  a 
pencil.  It  used  to  puzzle  her  greatly,  and  she 
learned  at  the  time  of  the  feast  to  prepare  for 
the  famine. 

Perhaps  the  somewhat  romantic  circum- 
stances of  her  lot  enhanced  her  natural  attrac- 
tions, but  she  was  indeed  a  girl  of  extraordinary 
beauty  of  features,  disposition,  mind,  and  man- 
ners. She  never  lacked  for  invitations  to  spend 
vacations  at  the  homes  of  her  mates,  but  she 
seldom  accepted  such  opportunities,  as  her 
father  had  requested  her  to  avoid  visits  except 

with  his  consent,  and  he  almost  always  arranged 
48 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

to  keep  her  at  the  school  when  he  could  not 
come  and  accompany  her  on  a  pleasure  trip. 
The  girls  had  a  pleasant  fiction  that  she  was 
the  rightful  heir  to  some  throne,  kept  out  of  the 
way  in  a  strange  land,  while  the  usurper  reigned 
undisturbed,  and  perhaps  they  had  come  to 
believe  in  their  own  little  romance,  for  they 
were  all  her  devoted  followers. 

All  the  admiration  that  Edyth  received  did 
not  cause  her  to  become  either  vain  or  over- 
bearing. Underneath  all  her  bright,  cheery 
ways  that  endeared  her  to  all  in  the  school  there 
was  a  deep  longing  for  a  mother's  love  and 
sympathy,  a  sorrow  for  the  cloud  that  seemed 
to  hang  over  her  birth,  and  an  unceasing  desire 
to  learn  something  more  than  her  father  had 
ever  been  willing  to  communicate  to  her.  Once 
when  walking  with  him  in  the  mountains  his 
usual  distant  and  forbidding  manner  appeared 
to  have  softened  a  trifle,  and  she  ventured  to 
speak  of  what  lay  nearest  to  her  heart  ever  since 
she  had  discovered  that  other  girls  were  blessed 
by  a  tender  love  unknown  to  her  life.  Mr. 
Wilsey  frowned  and  bit  his  mustache  a  while 

in  silence.     Then  he  told  her  that  her  mother 
49 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

had  died  in  France  not  long  after  Edyth's  birth, 
that  she  was  buried  over  there,  and  that  he 
wished  that  she  would  never  refer  again  to  the 
subject.  Edyth  asked  if  he  could  not  give  her 
a  photograph  of  her  mother,  and  he  agreed 
after  some  hesitation  to  send  her  a  likeness. 
It  came  to  her  several  weeks  after  he  went  away, 
a  miniature  on  ivory  in  a  blue  velvet  case,  the 
exquisite  face  of  a  young  girl  not  very  much 
older  than  herself.  Edyth  bowed  over  the 
painting  in  a  rapture  of  wonder  and  affection. 

"She  would  have  been  almost  twice  as  old 
now,"  she  said  aloud,  "and  her  eyes  would  not 
be  so  bright,  but  0,  how  tender  and  kind!  And 
her  pretty  hair  would  not  have  so  many  dear 
little  unruly  curls,  but  she  would  always  have 
been  lovely,  and  more  than  all  the  world  to  me. 
0,  mother,  mother!" 

Serene  was  absent  in  the  studio  taking  her 
painting  lesson,  and  Edyth  threw  herself  on  the 
bed  in  a  silent  passion  of  tears.  She  would  not 
show  the  picture  to  the  girls,  nor  even  to 
Madam  Knight;  for  although  the  latter  had  a 
very  pleasant  way  of  concealing  her  selfishness, 

at  heart  she  was  cold  and  politic,  and  was  no 
50 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

more  like  a  mother  to  her  pupils  than  an  imi- 
tation fireplace  with  its  painted  logs  and  flick- 
ering gas  jets  resembles  the  grand  old-fashioned 
hearth  with  its  warm  corners  and  genial  glow. 
Edyth  would  have  given  anything  she  had  for 
a  mother. 

She  had  spent  this  Easter  vacation  in  New 
York  city  with  her  father,  who  had  come  on 
from  Paris  to  meet  her  there.  He  had  loaded 
her  with  flowers  and  pretty  trifles,  had  asked 
her  to  order  some  new  gowns,  and  had  taken 
her  freely  to  the  play  and  the  opera.  But  on 
Easter  morning,  when  she  proposed  to  go  to 
some  church,  his  anger  blazed  forth. 

"It  is  my  express  wish,"  said  he,  "that  you 
shall  leave  religion  out  of  your  life.  I  have  my 
own  plan  for  you.  I  am  bringing  you  up  for  the 
world.  You  are  to  shine,  shine!  You  are  to 
have  society  at  your  feet.  Only  two  months 
more,  and  your  school  days  will  be  over,  and  I 
will  open  a  door  for  you  into  a  dazzling  career 
of  wealth  and  power.  You  will  have  everything 
that  heart  can  wish." 

Edyth  trembled  from  head  to  foot  before  the 

fire  in  his  e}res,  and  looked  down  at  the  carpet. 
51 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"I  have  schemed  and  toiled  and  risked  every- 
thing for  this,"  he  went  on,  "and  this  church 
business  shall  not  step  in.  Do  you  hear  me?" 
he  said  in  a  low  but  powerful  voice,  laying  a 
heavy  hand  upon  her  shoulder. 

Edyth  lifted  her  eyes  to  his  dark,  fierce  face, 
and  shuddered. 

"I  will  try  to  please  you,  father,"  she  faltered. 

He  saw  that  he  had  gone  too  far,  and  said  in 
a  gentler  tone: 

"I  forgot  that  I  had  never  told  you  how 
deeply  I  feel  on  this  subject.  I  hate  Christians! 
I  would  sooner  see  you  put  to  death  than  to 
have  you  become  one.  Now  go  to  your  room 
and  get  ready  for  a  drive." 

The  talk  had  occurred  in  their  private  parlor 
at  the  hotel.  Edyth  went  to  her  sleeping  room 
and  dallied  before  the  mirror,  adjusting  her 
Easter  hat  mechanically,  and  thinking  of  it 
not  at  all.  She  realized  now  for  the  first  time 
that  her  father's  habitual  reserve  was  but  the 
mask  of  qualities  that  struck  dismay  and  ter- 
ror to  her  girlish  soul.  She  saw  that  she  was 
in  bondage  to  a  will  unscrupulous  and  unkind. 

She  felt  the  iron  hand  in  its  handsome,  well- 
52 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

fitting  velvet  glove.  A  sense  of  injustice  and 
its  twin  emotion  of  resentment  awoke  in  her 
heart.  Her  father  was  obliged  to  knock  on  her 
door  to  remind  her  that  the  horses  were  wait- 
ing. He  was  a  man  of  resources,  and  during 
the  drive  he  made  himself  so  entertaining  and 
attentive  that  he  succeeded  in  allaying  the  im- 
pression that  he  had  made  upon  Edyth.  When 
she  left  for  school  he  gave  her  a  case  contain- 
ing a  string  of  small  but  perfect  pearls. 

"For  your  graduation,"  he  said.  "They  be- 
longed to  your  mother.'' 

A  torrent  of  questions  rushed  to  Edyth's  lips, 
but  she  restrained  them,  for  her  father  immedi- 
ately changed  the  subject. 

Serene's  home  was  in  New  York,  and  the  two 
girls  had  exchanged  luncheons  and  visited  the 
shops  together. 

"I  want  you  to  have  this/'  said  Serene,  one 
day  in  a  bookshop,  handing  Edyth  a  parcel  that 
she  had  ordered  from  the  clerk,  "but  please  do 
not  open  it  until  we  get  back  to  Gram's. 

Now  they  had  returned  and  were  hastily 
emptying  trunks  and  boxes,  Edyth  came  across 

the  parcel,  and  exclaimed: 
53 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"Serene  has  kept  me  in  suspense  long  enough. 
So  here  goes!" 

Melpomene  was  having  her  trials  with  "the 
Philosopher,"  for  Daisy,  having  unpacked  her 
belongings  and  hestowed  them  wherever  the 
room  presented  an  available  bit  of  surface,  had 
now  sunk  down  on  the  rug  before  the  glowing 
grate  with  the  air  of  one  about  to  enjoy  a  well- 
earned  repose.  Eleanor  was  flying  nervously 
about,  opening  bureau  drawers  and  rushing 
into  closets. 

"Now,  Daisy  Leslie/'  cried  she,  "come  and 
put  away  your  clothes!  These  rooms  are  a  per- 
fect jungle." 

"Mel,  it  tries  me  to  hear  you  tearing  around 
so/'  replied  the  culprit,  with  a  comfortable  and 
provoking  little  yawn.  "Do  come  and  enjoy 
this  splendid  fire." 

"One  vestal  is  enough  under  the  present  cir- 
cumstances," responded  Eleanor,  grimly,  at  the 
same  time  casting  a  wistful  look  at  the  ruddy 
coals. 

Edyth  had  unwrapped  the  shallow  paper  box 
that  Serene  had  given  her,  and  opened  it  with 

an  exclamation  of  delight.    It  contained  a  large 
54 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

Easter  card  with  a  most  exquisite  design  of 
white  lilies  against  a  delicate  azure  background. 
There  was  also  an  inscription  in  silver  letters 
which  she  did  not  read. 

"If  this  august  hody  does  not  object,"  said 
Edyth,  I'll  tack  this  under  that  water  color 
by  the  west  window.  Come,  Mel  and  Daisy, 
stop  quarreling,  and  say  if  this  isn't  lovely." 

"0,  it  does  very  well/'  replied  Eleanor,  who 
was  fond  of  deep  rich  colors.  "I  never  rave 
over  pale  pinks  and  blues,  you  know." 

"No,"  said  Serene,  who  had  just  entered  with 
a  perfume  case  in  her  hand,  "Mel  should  have 
been  born  in  the  tropics,  her  taste  is  so  gor- 
geous. She  would  go  wild  with  delight  over  a 
picture  that  I  saw  once  of  Lincoln  in  red  drap- 
eries crowned  amid  the  clouds  by  George  "Wash- 
ington becomingly  arrayed  in  green,  while  an 
American  eagle  flapped  a  pair  of  purple  and 
yellow  wings  everhead." 

"I  don't  think  that  my  taste  is  quite  so  d 
TAfricaine"  laughed  Eleanor,  "but  I  do  love 
warmth  and  richness,  and  if  ever  I  have  a 
place  of  my  very  own  I  shall  call  it  Sunset 

Lodge." 

55 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"Dreadful  place!"  said  "the  Philosopher," 
languidly.  "Green  goggles  provided  for  all 
guests." 

"Peacocks  and  paroquets  all  over  the  lawn," 
said  Serene,  "and  not  a  blush  rose  nor  a  bit  of 
mignonette  anywhere;  nothing  but  trumpet 
vines  and  sunflowers  and  those  prigs  among  the 
flower-people,  dahlias." 

During  the  merry  chatter  of  the  girls  Edyth 
had  stood  at  the  window,  silent  and  abstracted, 
with  the  beautiful  card  in  her  hand,  for  a  ray 
of  sunshine  had  slanted  through  the  lace  cur- 
tain and  across  the  spray  of  lilies  and  the  words 
beneath : 

"  He  died  for  all, 

That  they  which  live  should  not  henceforth  lire  unto 

themselves, 
But  unto  Him  who  died  for  them,  and  rose  again." 

The  words  were  new  to  Edyth.  Was  it  the 
sunlight  alone  that  made  them  glowing  and  liv- 
ing? 

"Not  to  themselves,  but  unto  Him." 
Had  the  glad  Eastertide  a  deeper  meaning 
than  she  had  found  in  it?    To  her  it  was  but 

the  celebration  of  a  strange  tradition.     How 
56 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

could  the  fact  that  ages  before  One  was  said 
to  have  risen  from  the  dead  have  anything  to 
do  with  her  daily  life?  Why  should  she  live 
unto  Him? 

"Who  died  for  them." 

"For  them,"  she  thought;  "perhaps  that 
doesn't  mean  me!" 

"He  died  for  all." 

"Why  did  He  die  for  me?"  she  queried. 

"Edyth,  what  are  you  day-dreaming  about?" 

Serene  had  repeated  her  question,  and  her 
rallying  voice  brought  Edyth  from  her  reverie. 
She  turned  saying: 

"What  is  it,  my  Princess?" 

"I  would  think  you  were  posing  as  a  model 
for  'My  heart's  in  the  Highlands.'  Here,  just 
inhale  this  new  extract,  and  come  back  to 
boarding  school." 

"Delicious!"  said  Edyth,  thrusting  aside  her 
strange  thoughts  and  dropping  into  an  easy- 
chair.  "Let's  follow  'the  Philosopher's'  ex- 
ample, and  take  a  little  comfort  before  tea." 

"Yes,"  said  Serene,  appropriating  the  divan, 
"a  whole  hour  to  the  tea  bell." 

"Come,  Mel,  dear,"  coaxed  Daisy. 
57 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"0,  the  times!  0,  the  customs!"  groaned 
Eleanor.,  at  the  same  moment  sitting  down  in 
the  willow  rocker,  and  proceeding  to  open  a 
bottle  of  olives  as  an  offset  to  the  box  of  choco- 
lates that  Edyth  was  untying. 

"Does  it  seem  possible,"  said  Serene,  "that 
we  are  beginning  our  very  last  term?" 

"I  think  we  will  realize  that  fact  on  Mon- 
day," replied  Edyth,  "when  we  receive  the  sub- 
jects for  our  graduating  essays." 

"0,  girls,  how  can  you  mention  it!"  wailed 
Daisy,  her  speech  rendered  rather  indistinct  by 
a  caramel. 

"Cheer  up,  my  love,"  said  Eleanor,  "the  wind 
shall  be  tempered  to  the  shorn  lamb.  Won't  it 
be  overpowering  to  hear  you  expressing  your 
opinion,  or,  rather,  Mrs.  Knight's  opinion,  of 
Lord  Bacon's  essays,  or  reviewing  Gibbon!" 

"Jeannette  Herkimer  will  have  the  saluta- 
tory," she  added  after  a  pause,  "and  of  course 
'  Old  Lovely '  will  have  the  valedictory.  Then 
hurrah  for  life!" 

"I've  no  doubt  we  will  wish  ourselves  back 
here  many  a  time,"  said  Serene.  "My  sister 

Belle  says  that  societv  is  a  bore." 
"58 


THE  IVIXG'S  GOLD 

"I  don't  know  much  about  it,"  said  Daisy, 
"but  I've  sat  on  the  stairs  and  listened  many 
a  night  when  mamma  has  had  her  receptions, 
and  just  longed  to  grow  up  and  dance  all  I 
like  and  eat  ices  at  midnight.  Next  fall  I  can!" 

"I  wonder  sometimes  if  we  were  born  just  to 
eat  and  dress  and  dance  and  be  jolly,"  said 
Eleanor;  "only  you  can't  always  be  jolly;  that's 
the  trouble!" 

Edyth  glanced  at  the  western  window.  The 
sun  had  set  and  even  the  lilies  on  the  Easter 
card  had  become  dim. 

"That  they  which  live  should  not  live  unto 
themselves." 

She  did  not  need  to  see  the  words.  She  could 
not  forget  them. 

"Merc}r,  Mel!"  cried  Daisy,  "how  can  you 
speak  of  trouble!  I  don't  like  to  think  of  it." 

"  'Once  upon  a  midnight  dreary/ "  began 
Eleanor,  in  a  deep  alto  voice. 

"There,  Mel,  that  is  sufficient,"  interposed 
Serene.  "Do  leave  that  old  bird  of  yours  on  his 
perch.  Here's  Edyth  looking  as  wise  and 
solemn  as  ten  ravens." 

"Do   I?"   said   Edyth,   with   a   faint   smile. 
59 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"Perhaps  it  is  because  I  am  not  wise  that  I 
look  so  solemn.  If  I  could  know  what  life 
really  is  and  how  to  live  it  I  would  be  glad." 

"Our  cozy  little  chat  is  getting  as  heavy  as 
one  of  Dominie  Vanderhof 's  discourses/'  pouted 
Daisy. 

"Penalty  for  leaving  our  work  undone/'  said 
Eleanor,  rising. 

"Suppose  we  finish  our  regulating,"  said 
Edyth,  "for  you  know  we  must  pay  our  respects 
to  Gram  and  H.  E.  H.  after  tea." 

"Daisy  was  the  promoter  of  all  this  indolence, 
so  she  shall  be  the  first  to  go  to  work,"  declared 
Eleanor. 

Whereupon  the  reluctant  "Philosopher"  was 
lifted  bodily  from  the  rug  and  deposited  in  her 
empty  trunk,  from  which  she  was  not  allowed 
to  stir  until  she  had  promised  to  do  her  share  in 

bringing  order  out  of  the  prevailing  confusion. 
60 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 


CHAPTER  III 

MANY  miles  from  Mrs.  Knight's  seminary, 
the  quiet  village  of  Simnyslope  lay  among  the 
hills  of  Massachusetts.  Its  wide  streets  were 
lined  with  comfortable  old-fashioned  homes, 
each  with  its  drooping  elms,  box-bordered 
garden  walks,  and  spreading  lilac  and  syringa 
bushes.  In  the  center  of  the  village  was  the 
Common,  overlooked  by  the  Congregational 
church,  the  townhouse,  and  the  ancient  acad- 
emy, whose  bell  had  called  several  generations 
to  thread  the  mazes  of  the  multiplication  table 
and  endure  the  more  subtle  tortures  of  mental 
arithmetic.  It  is  the  same  dignified,  peaceful 
settlement  as  it  was  twenty  years  ago,  for  its 
drowsiness  has  never  been  startled  by  the 
whistle  of  factory  or  locomotive.  The  little 
frame  church  where  Mary  West's  face  used  to 
suggest  thoughts  of  heaven  has  been  replaced 
by  a  more  modern  structure  of  brick,  but  the 
brown  house  where  she  once  lived,  and  the 
orchard  and  the  river  where  Harry  Reynolds 

and  Helen  West  had  spent  their  happiest  sum- 
61 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

mer,  seem  all  unchanged.  Public  affection  had 
so  far  triumphed  over  public  common  sense  in 
the  preservation  of  the  academy.  All  agreed 
that  a  new  building  was  a  necessity,  and  that 
the  old  structure  was  a  disgrace  to  the  com- 
munity, but  to  many  of  the  villagers  the  school- 
house  was  only  less  dear  than  the  family  home- 
stead, and  they  were  proud  to  say  that  Ex- 
Senator  Lowell  sat  there,  and  Judge  Wellford 
here  by  the  window,  and  a  certain  star  in  the 
ecclesiastical  world  now  shining  on  the  Pacific 
coast  had  its  rise  from  yonder  corner. 

It  was  the  same  afternoon  on  which  Edyth 
Wilsey  returned  from  her  Easter  vacation.  The 
sunlight  streamed  through  the  narrow-paned 
windows  of  the  academy,  framing  golden  and 
brown  heads  in  a  haze  of  celestial  glory,  especi- 
ally that  of  Bobby  Blake,  who  had  surpassed 
himself  all  day  in  impish  -ingenuity.  It  lingered 
over  the  rude  initials  on  the  old  green  desks, 
many  of  which  were  carved  by  hands  long  since 
returned  to  the  dust,  and  blazed  upon  the  large 
map  of  the  world  on  the  east  wall,  shining  im- 
partially on  China  and  the  United  States  at 

the  same  time. 

62 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

The  face  bending  over  the  teacher's  desk  was 
pale,  strong,  tender,  and  womanly.  No  stranger 
could  be  content  with  merely  a  passing  glance 
at  its  noble  features;  but  neither  the  firm,  sweet 
mouth,  the  dark,  luminous  eyes,  nor  the  white 
brow  shaded  by  prematurely  silvered  chestnut 
hair  gave  the  real  charm  to  that  countenance. 
The  attraction  lay  in  its  expression,  an  inde- 
scribable illumination  from  within,  the  mark  of 
the  Spirit  only  attained  in  the  furnace  of  some 
long  and  bitter  sorrow.  Twenty  years  had  left 
their  impress  on  Helen  West,  but  they  had  not 
robbed  her  of  beauty,  and  they  had  brought 
to  her  something  far  better  than  youth.  She 
was  restless  that  afternoon,  although  outwardly 
calm.  Occasionally  she  glanced  at  the  tall, 
antique  clock  which  the  Rev.  Ephraim  Good- 
soldier  had  bequeathed  to  the  academy.  It  was 
a  melancholy  old  timepiece,  and  struck  the 
hours  in  a  minor,  elegiac  tone  as  if  lament- 
ing its  former  owner.  For  many  years  it  had 
occupied  a  certain  dusty  corner  in  the  Rev. 
Ephraim's  study,  keeping  guard  over  Calvin's 
Institutes  and  the  rows  of  serious  leather- 
covered  volumes  that  reached  from  floor  to 
G3 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

ceiling,  and  watching  on  many  a  midnight  the 
finishing  touch  on  some  weighty  discourse  on 
election.  So  thoroughly  had  the  old  clock  be- 
come imbued  with  the  atmosphere  of  that  sanc- 
tum that  its  slowly  swinging  pendulum  seemed 
to  its  owner  to  say,  "Total  depravity,  total  de- 
pravity." On  being  removed  to  the  academy, 
and  looking  down  on  the  incorrigible  Bobby 
and  his  train,  it  gathered  fresh  assurance 
of  the  verity  of  its  favorite  theme,  and  lifted 
up  its  voice  with  renewed  vigor.  But  not  even 
Miss  West  understood  its  message. 

"One  would  never  dream  of  writing  'Tempus 
fugit'  over  that  timepiece,"  she  said.  "  'Time 
tarries'  might  do,  but  'Time  flies'  would  be 
sheer  disrespect  to  the  stately  old  aristocrat." 

It  was  nearly  three  o'clock  when  Miss  West 
looked  up  for  the  fiftieth  time  that  afternoon 
to  the  dial.  The  day  had  been  an  unspeakably 
trying  one,  and  had  jarred  upon  every  sensitive 
nerve,  but  that  was  not  the  reason  of  her  eager- 
ness to  escape  from  the  hum  of  the  schoolroom. 
During  the  recess  little  Annie  Bell  Stokes  had 
brought  to  the  desk  an  offering  of  molasse? 

peppermint  drops  wrapped  in  a  liberal  piece  of 
64 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

newspaper.  Annie  Bell  had  a  generous  heart, 
but  very  limited  ideas  as  to  value  and  fitness. 
At  Christmas  time,  attracted  by  its  red  and 
golden  magnificence,  she  had  presented  Miss 
West  with  a  mustache-cup  bearing  the  inscrip- 
tion "To  my  Husband,"  and  but  few  days 
passed  without  some  distressing  token  of  her 
regard.  Miss  West  groaned  inwardly  over  the 
peppermint  drops,  having  a  very  particular  ab- 
horrence of  that  dainty,  but  she  received  them 
with  a  kindly  smile  for  the  child.  Annie  Bell 
looked  around  when  she  had  reached  the  door 
to  see  if  the  teacher  was  partaking  of  the  treat, 
and  saw  Miss  West  suddenly  drop  her  head 
upon  the  desk.  The  child  rushed  back  ex- 
claiming, "0,  teacher,  are  you  sick?" 

There  was  no  reply  until  the  question  was 
repeated,  when  Miss  West  half  raised  her  head 
and  said  quietly,  "N"o,  dear,  run  away;  that's  a 
good  girl." 

A  few  moments  more,  and  the  time  for  recess 
was  over.  However  much  Miss  West  desired  to 
be  alone,  she  must  ring  the  bell,  and  call  in  the 
tiresome  little  faces  and  restless  feet.  She  must 

hear  the  class  in  the  fourth  reader  stumble 
65 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

through  "Rienzi's  Address  to  the  Romans,"  and 
watch  the  third  class  in  arithmetic  add  the 
long  double  rows  of  figures  on  the  blackboard. 
She  must  read  and  correct  fifteen  compositions 
on  "Spring,"  each  one  beginning,  "Spring  is 
the  pleasantest  time  of  the  year,"  with  an  oc- 
casional variation  in  the  adjective.  She  must 
hear  a  class  in  geography  bound  the  Middle 
States,  and  the  grammar  class  parse  ten  lines  of 
"Thanatopsis."  But  before  she  walked  to  the 
window  to  summon  the  children  from  Prison- 
er's Base  and  London  Bridge,  she  carefully 
smoothed  out  and  laid  in  a  drawer  the  piece  of 
paper  that  had  inclosed  the  candy,  which  she 
had  transferred  surreptitiously  to  the  stove. 
At  last  the  hands  of  the  clock  pointed  to  the 
hour  of  deliverance.  Bobby  Blake  and  several 
others  deserved  to  be  kept  after  school.  Maria 
Green  had  missed  her  entire  grammar  lesson, 
and  Johnny  Taylor  had  bounded  Pennsylvania 
on  the  north  by  Massachusetts,  and  ought  to  be 
detained.  Might  she  not  let  them  all  go  home 
together  to-night,  good,  bad,  and  indifferent? 
The  temptation  was  a  strong  one,  but  she  would 

not  relax  the  discipline  of  the  school  for  mere 
66 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

personal  gratification.  So  the  few  that  had 
passed  through  the  day's  ordeal  without  de- 
merits were  dismissed,  and  the  culprits  and 
drones  remained  for  another  hour.  When  the 
clock  struck  four  the  array  of  partially  eaten 
apples,  bottles  of.  licorice-water,  knives,  and  a 
gray  flannel  Jumbo  that  had  been  confiscated 
at  different  stages  of  the  day's  proceedings  were 
returned  to  their  respective  owners,  and  the 
last  tippet  and  dinner  pail  vanished  hilariously 
through  the  doorway.  The  room  was  silent 
then  except  for  the  slow,  steady  voice  of  the 
old  clock,  that  seemed  to  the  weary  teacher  to 
say,  "Gone  home,  gone  home,"  with  unusual 
cheeriness. 

She  took  from  the  drawer  the  sticky  and 
rumpled  piece  of  newspaper,  went  over  to  a 
window  and  sat  down  there.  The  paper  was  a 
third  of  a  page  published  at  Troy,  N.  Y.  She 
remembered  that  the  Stokes  family  had  had  a 
relative  from  Troy  visiting  them  the  summer 
previous.  The  date  of  the  paper  had  not  been 
torn  off.  It  was  August  of  the  preceding  year. 
The  paragraph  that  had  fixed  Miss  West's  atten- 
tion was  part  of  a  chatty  letter  from  Saratoga 
07' 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

by  "our  special  correspondent."  It  read  thus: 
"Among  the  late  arrivals  at  'The  States'  is  the 
successful  speculator  Laurance  Wilsey,  accom- 
panied by  his  daughter,  Miss  Edyth  Wilsey. 
Although  yet  a  pupil  at  Mrs.  Knight's  cele- 
brated seminary,  Miss  Wilsey  attracts  much  at- 
tention, not  only  from  the  fact  that  she  is  an 
heiress,  but  because  of  her  great  beauty  and 
grace.  Another  year,  and  society  will  welcome 
this  new  star  to  its  firmament." 

Miss  West  read  these  trivial  words  over  and 
over  again  with  tears  streaming  down  her 
cheeks. 

"And  I  have  never  seen  her,"  she  said  aloud. 
"My  darling,  my  darling !" 
•  Just  then  the  janitor  came  in  to  attend  to  the 
fire,  and  Miss  West  hurriedly  donned  her  hat  and 
shawl,  and  walked  with  quick,  nervous  tread 
across  the  Common  and  down  the  street  to  her 
home.  The  brown  house  on  Elm  Street  that 
had  been  her  birthplace  and  her  home  from 
childhood  was  now  her  boarding  place.  She 
retained  a  couple  of  rooms  for  her  own  use. 
The  Eeynolds  place  across  the  street  had  passed 

into  the  hands  of  strangers.     Helen  had  suc- 
68 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

ceeded  in  her  simple  apartments  in  giving  ex- 
pression to  something  of  her  own  beautiful 
inner  life,  and  so  with  inexpensive  materials 
she  had  produced  effects  more  pleasing  than 
might  be  found  in  the  magnificent  boudoir  of 
her  who  is  not  a  daughter  of  the  King.  Her 
sitting  room  had  been  once  her  mother's  bed- 
room. It  was  in  a  southwest  corner,  and  so  had 
plenty  of  sunshine.  She  had  an  Easter  lily 
every  spring.  There  was  one  now  in  a  bracket 
by  a  window.  It  was  just  bursting  into  glorious 
purity  and  fragrance.  Helen  said  it  preached 
to  her  every  day  from  the  text,  "As  we  have 
borne  the  image  of  the  earthy,  so  shall  we  bear 
the  image  of  the  heavenly." 

There  were  only  two  pictures  on  the  walls. 
One  was  a  fine  photograph  of  Raphael's  heaven- 
inspired  gift  to  the  world,  the  "Madonna  di  San 
Sisto/'  It  was  his  to  illuminate  for  grateful, 
wondering  hearts  through  many  centuries  that 
blessed  prophetic  word  "Immanuel."  The  other 
was  a  large  engraving  of  a  marine  scene,  but 
with  no  sail  in  sight;  only  the  great  swelling 
billows  dashing  their  spray  on  a  rocky  coast. 

Born  as  she  was  far  from  the  sound  or  scent  of 
69 


THE  KIXG'S  GOLD 

the  sea,  this  picture  was  a  constant  enjoyment 
to  Helen.  She  often  felt  that  the  sight  of  it 
was  like  a  bit  of  a  vacation.  There  was  an 
open  fireplace  in  the  room,  a  comfortable  easy- 
chair,  and  a  wide,  low  couch  with  several 
bright  cushions.  In  one  corner  stood  a  small 
table  and  a  rocking-chair.  This  table  never 
held  anything  but  Helen's  Bible,  a  notebook 
and  pencil,  and  a  photograph  of  her  mother  in 
a  simple  oak  frame.  No  one  but  Helen  knew 
that  between  the  back  of  the  frame  and  the 
picture  was  a  slip  of  paper,  the  little  note  she 
had  found  on  the  floor  of  that  very  room  the 
night  her  mother  went  to  the  better  country. 

There  was  a  singular  lack  of  bric-a-brac  in 
this  room,  a  refreshing  absence  of  cups  and 
saucers,  china  images,  and  ornate  concoctions  in 
•dlk  and  wool.  Even  the  wide  mantelpiece  had 
escaped  the  plague  of  pettiness  that  assails  so 
many  such,  and  only  a  handsome  little  clock, 
a  vase,  and  a  realty  choice  match-holder  con- 
fronted the  daily  dustcloth.  Helen's  two  ex- 
travagances were  in  the  freshness  and  dainti- 
ness of  her  white  muslin  curtains,  which  were 

never  allowed  to  suggest  the  need  of  house- 
70 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

cleaning,  and  in  the  matter  of  her  evening  light. 
The  flame  must  be  the  broadest  and  brightest 
to  be  had,  and  the  lampshade  white  and  softly 
luminous.  This  table  never  lacked  a  delight- 
ful book  or  choice  periodical.  But  the  real 
heart  of  the  room  was  the  low  bookcase  in  the 
space  between  the  hearth  and  the  southeast 
corner.  It  was  a  peculiar  collection  of  books, 
clear  and  significant  to  their  owner.  Each 
volume  was  an  intimate  friend,  each  wore  the 
imprint  of  genuine  and  affectionate  usage. 
They  were  not  arranged  on  the  shelves  with  any 
thought  of  analogy  or  chronology,  but,  like 
Elizabeth  Prentiss'  idea  of  the  saints  of  all 
ages  in  heaven,  they  were  "all  mixed  up  to- 
gether." There  were  no  stately  rows  of  "Com- 
plete Works"  in  gorgeous  bindings,  but  nearly 
all  the  immortals  in  literature  were  represented. 
It  was  a  never-ending  wonderment  to  Helen 
that  she  could  have  the  very  best  of  Emerson 
and  Ruskin  and  Robert  Browning  more  truly 
than  if  she  could  have  met  and  known  them  in 
the  flesh.  "The  Choir  Invisible"  sing  more  en- 
trancingly  than  they  whom  we  see  amid  the 

commonplaces  of  life.  The  genius  who  would  flee 
71 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

our  company,  after  all,  shares  his  most  sacred 
and  uplifting  thoughts  with  us.  The  newsboy 
on  the  street,  if  he  will,  may  read  the  love- 
letters  of  the  Hawthornes  and  the  Brownings, 
letters  that  were  kept  under  lock  and  key  even 
from  dearest  friends.  Every  one  of  Helen's 
hooks  meant  something  as  a  gift  or  as  a  personal 
sacrifice.  Her  wardrobe  was  usually  the  suffer- 
er, not  in  neatness,  hut  in  variety.  When  she 
invested  once  in  a  good  copy  of  Carlyle's  French 
Eevolution  hy  doing  without  a  new  winter 
bonnet,  she  had  the  satisfaction  of  knowing 
that  there  are  single  passages  in  that  'book 
worth  all  the  new  hats  in  Christendom.  Helen 
had  a  swinging  shelf  over  the  table  where  her 
Bible  lay,  that  held  only  devotional  books.  All 
of  them  were  shabby  and  underscored  and  tear- 
stained,  an  edition  de  luxe  to  God  and  the 
angels. 

It  was  to  this  quiet,  bright  little  corner  in  a 
very  lonely  world  that  Helen  came  home  from 
school  on  this  afternoon  that  has  renewed  our 
acquaintance  with  her.  She  put  away  her  hat 
and  wrap  and  applied  a  match  to  the  sticks  on 

the  andirons.     A  bright  flame  was  roaring  up 

72 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

the  chimney  by  the  time  she  returned  from  her 
sleeping-room  with  a  little  rosewood  box  in 
her  hands.  She  sat  down  in  her  big  chair,  and 
leaned  back  a  few  moments  with  closed  eyes  as 
if  she  dreaded  to  open  the  box.  Then  she  un- 
locked it,  and  took  from  it  an  old  daguerreo- 
type. The  lovely  face  of  a  girl  of  seventeen 
looked  out  at  her. 

"Sweet  little  sister  Eloise!"  she  said.  "So 
many  years  in  heaven,  and  your  baby-girl  al- 
most a  woman.  I  cannot  realize  it." 

There  were  three  time-stained  notes  and  a 
scrap  or  two  of  newspaper  in  the  box,  but  al- 
though Miss  West  knew  them  by  heart  she  read 
each  one  over  and  over  again.  The  first  note 
she  had  found  on  her  dressing-table  one  June 
morning  eighteen  years  before.  As  she  took  it 
out  of  the  box  to-day  she  could  seem  to  inhale 
the  breath  of  the  clustering  roses  that  wreathed 
the  casement.  It  ran  thus: 

"DEAR  N~EL  :  When  you  read  this  I  shall  be  on 
the  train  for  New  York.  It  breaks  my  heart  to 
leave  you  and  father  in  this  way,  but  I  cannot 
give  up  my  dear  Laurance.  It  seems  a  poor 

return  for  all  that  you  have  done  for  me  since 
73 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

mother  left  us,  but  I  think  one  of  these  days 
when  you  see  how  very  good  and  kind  Laur- 
ance  is  to  me  you  will  forgive 

"Your  naughty  but  loving  little  sister, 

"ELOISE. 
"P.  S.— Lots  of  kisses." 

Then  there  was  a  notice  cut  from  a  New 
York  daily  of  the  marriage  of  Laurance  Wilsey 
to  Eloise  West  of  Sunnyslope. 

The  next  note  was  as  follows: 

"MY  DEAR  SISTER:  My  husband  has  forbid- 
den me  to  write.  You  cannot  wonder  that  he 
feels  as  he  does,  knowing  how  you  regard  him. 
He  is  away  from  me  a  good  deal,  but  I  have 
lovely  silk  gowns  and  diamonds  and  a  carriage, 
and  would  be  quite  happy  if  he  were  not  so 
busy,  and  I  could  see  you  and  father.  Do  not 
worry  about  me.  I  must  not  write  any  more  for 
a  while,  for  he  would  be  very  angry. 

"Your  loving 
"ELOISE. 

"P.  S. — I  hope  the  white  asters  are  doing 

well  this  fall." 

74 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

The  third  note  was  dated  a  year  and  a  half 
later  at  Marseilles,  France. 

"Mv  DARLING  SISTER  HELEN:  I  asked  L.  to 
write  to  you  about  the  birth  of  my  darling 
baby-girl  last  May.  I  did  not  get  strong  very 
fast,  and  so  they  brought  me  over  here,  but  I 
am  not  so  well  as  when  I  came.  L.  will  take 
me  home  to  America  before  long,  and  I  must 
see  you  even  if  I  have  to  walk  to  you.  The 
baby  is  very  lovely,  but  they  do  not  let  me  hold 
her,  because  the  least  thing  tires  me  so.  I  often 
think  of  the  trouble  that  I  have  caused  you  and 
dear  father.  Will  you  forgive  me?  I  wish  I 
could  hear  mother  read  the  chapter  about  the 
Good  Shepherd  once  more.  L.  will  not  let  me 
have  a  Bible,  but  I  lie  awake  at  night  and  think 
and  think,  and  many  of  the  dear  old  verses 
come  back  to  me,  and  I  can  hear  the  robins 
singing  in  the  old  cherry  tree  by  the  kitchen 
door.  I  wish  father  would  take  me  in  his  arms 
to-night,  I  am  so  tired.  My  maid  will  post  this 
letter,  but  you  must  not  write.  My  heart  aches 
for  your  dear  faces.  ELOISE. 

"P.  S. — I  want  a  drink  from  our  well.    Is  my 

1)1  no  china  mug  broken?" 
75 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

Another  newspaper  scrap  contained  the  no- 
tice of  the  death  of  Eloise  a  few  days  after  the 
date  of  her  last  letter. 

Helen  closed  and  locked  the  little  box,  but 
sat  for  a  long  time  with  it  in  her  lap,  looking 
into  the  fire,  but  through  the  fire  to  the  past. 
The  first  sorrow  of  her  life  was  her  mother's 
death,  and  close  upon  that  followed  the  dis- 
appointment about  her  college  course,  for  she 
could  not  forsake  the  trust  that  her  mother  had 
left  to  her.  Neither  her  father  nor  sister  knew 
with  what  bitter  tears  she  took  up  the  cares  that 
her  mother  had  laid  down.  Even  Harry's  sym- 
pathy failed  her  here,  for  he  was  quite  as  well 
satisfied  to  have  her  forego  the  ambitious  flight 
she  had  planned  for  herself.  She  had  to  con- 
tent herself  with  such  reading  and  study  as 
could  fill  odd  niches  in  the  day. 

Eloise  gave  both  Mr.  West  and  herself  much 
anxiety.  She  grew  very  beautiful,  had  a  keen 
desire  for  pleasure  and  fine  clothing,  and  de- 
veloped a  determined  will  of  her  own,  though 
she  always  treated  her  father  with  respect,  and 
overwhelmed  Helen  at  times  with  demonstra- 
tions of  affection.  Eloise  attended  church 


THE  KIXG'S  GOLD 

regularly  with  her  father  and  sister.  It  was 
there  that  Laurance  Wilsey  first  saw  her  one 
morning  in  the  springtime.  He  had  come  from 
Xew  York  to  Sunnyslope  on  Saturday  with  a 
friend  of  his,  a  young  lawyer  who  had  business 
in  the  vicinity  for  a  city  firm,  and  had  strolled 
carelessly  into  the  church  that  Sunday  morning 
to  amuse  himself  with  what  he  thought  would 
be  the  rustic  attire  and  manners  of  the  congre- 
gation. When  Eloise  West  entered  the  pew 
directly  in  front  of  him  he  forgot  his  quest  of 
amusement.  Before  many  minutes  had  elapsed 
he  had  determined  to  make  the  acquaintance  of 
the  dainty  girl,  who  was  as  fresh  and  sweet  as 
the  cluster  of  arbutus  on  her  bodice. 

Laurance  Wilsey  was  a  living  lie  in  all  things 
except  his  towering  worldly  ambition.  His  very 
name  was  one  that  he  had  assumed  when  he  ran 
away  from  a  humble  home  in  the  West.  In 
appearance  a  gentleman,  he  was  in  reality 
coarse  and  cruel;  in  business  occupying  osten- 
sibly a  lucrative  position  with  a  wholesale 
house,  he  was  secretly  piling  up  gains  from  the 
gaming  table.  He  did  not  use  intoxicating 

liquors  because  in  that  way  he  would  have  en- 
6  77 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

dangered  the  great  end  of  his  desire,  namely,  to 
be  a  very  rich  man  of  leisure,  and  secure  in  the 
adulation  of  the  fashionable  world.  Intense 
love  of  self,  and  consequently  of  money,  power, 
luxury,  and  pleasure;  a  semblance  of  morality 
when  it  would  favor  his  designs;  the  unforget- 
ting,  unforgiving  disposition  of  an  Indian;  and 
a  determination  never  to  be  thwarted  in  his 
plans  even  at  the  cost  of  precious  things,  were 
characteristic  of  this  man.  He  had  no  more 
idea  of  real  Christianity  than  a  Hottentot.  In 
person,  he  was  rather  attractive  to  the  careless 
observer,  as  he  had  a  tall,  stalwart,  well-propor- 
tioned figure  and  was  always  faultlessly  attired. 
His  dark,  striking  face  was  called  handsome  by 
those  not  quick  to  discern  thereon  the  evil  bias 
of  the  man's  nature.  A  veneering  of  fine  man- 
ners, and  the  art  of  agreeable  conversation  when 
he  chose  to  emerge  from  his  habitual  reticence, 
made  him  an  acceptable  acquaintance  to  many 
superficial  people. 

At  this  time  he  was  thirty-five  years  of  age, 
and  with  no  intention  of  marriage  until  he 
might  take  that  step  to  his  great  social  advan- 
tage.   He  spent  several  days  in  Sunnyslope,  and 
78 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

adroitly  managed  to  gain  admission  to  the 
humble  West  homestead  and  establish  an  ac- 
quaintance. He  returned  to  the  city,  but  a 
few  weeks  found  him  again  in  the  little  village, 
and  it  was  evident  that  Eloise  was  the  magnet 
that  had  drawn  him  back.  His  admiration  of 
the  pretty  country  girl  and  her  violin  playing 
would  have  been  but  a  passing  fancy  had  not 
Mr.  West  soon  begun  to  show  signs  of  disappro- 
bation of  his  attentions.  Helen  also  made  him 
ill  at  ease  by  her  cool  dignity.  This  angered 
him  and  intensified  his  interest  when  it  might 
otherwise  have  flagged.  To  gain  any  point  in 
the  face  of  opposition  was  a  keen,  supreme  de- 
light to  him.  Eloise  was  flattered  beyond  ex- 
pression by  so  stylish  and  handsome  a  lover, 
and  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  the  remonstrances  of 
her  father  and  sister.  Her  pleasure-loving 
nature  was  like  a  leaf  tossed  in  the  wind. 
Laurance  Wilsey  tried  in  vain  to  win  over  Mr. 
West  and  Helen.  At  last  he  asked  the  consent 
of  Mr.  West  to  an  engagement,  and  was  met  by 
a  decided  refusal. 

"You  talk  of  wealth,  of  travel,  you  can  give 

my  thoughtless  little  girl/'  said  he.    "Can  you 
79 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

give  her  the  love  of  a  heart  loyal  to  your  God? 
No,  Mr.  Wilsey,  I  cannot  trust  you  with  my 
child's  best  interests." 

Laurance  Wilsey  left  the  house  muttering 
something  about  "that  crazy  old  fool  of  a  Meth- 
odist," and  went  home  to  New  York,  from 
whence  he  wrote  to  Helen  begging  her  to  inter- 
cede for  him.  Helen  replied  as  decidedly  as  her 
father  had  spoken.  Eloise  appeared  very  sub- 
dued and  even  unusually  affectionate  for  a  week 
or  two.  Then  one  morning  her  room  waa 
empty,  and  the  little  note  lay  on  Helen's  dresser. 
Mr.  West  was  cut  to  the  heart,  and  knelt  hours 
before  God  in  his  own  room.  Helen  was 
stunned  at  first,  then  thoroughly  indignant 
with  that  terrible,  calm  wrath  born  of  injured, 
unappreciated  self-immolation,  and  when 
Eloise's  first  letter  arrived  evil  overcame  good 
in  her  soul,  and  she  wrote  long  and  bitterly  in 
reply.  The  next  week  Mr.  West  was  stricken 
with  paralysis,  and  lingered  for  weary  years  in 
helplessness.  In  his  sick  room  Helen,  at  first 
rebellious  and  sore  at  heart  in  her  lot,  grew 
slowly  into  a  knowledge  of  the  beauty  of  the 

Father's  will  concerning  his  children,  a  knowl- 
80 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

edge  that  brought  a  deep  blessedness  in*.,,  her 
life.  She  thought  often  of  what  her  mother  had 
said  to  her  the  radiant  morning  that  she  joined 
the  church.  She  understood  it  now.  Her 
severest  trial  lay  in  the  sundering  of  her  re- 
lations with  Harry  Eeynolds.  He  was  called  to 
be  a  foreign  missionary,  but  Helen  was  bound 
more  really  than  by  chains  of  iron  to  the  poor, 
helpless  old  man  who  depended  upon  her  for 
everything  but  breath.  Harry  declined  to  be 
set  free  from  the  engagement,  but  Helen  had 
insisted.  She  would  not  even  consent  to  a 
correspondence,  much  as  the  refusal  cost  her. 

"I  want  you  to  begin  your  new  life  entirely 
unfettered  by  the  past.  Your  parents  are  gone, 
and  I,  too,  wish  to  disappear  from  all  but  your 
loving  memory." 

"Helen,  if  you  cared  as  I  do  you  simply  could 
not  talk  in  this  way." 

"It  is  because  I  care  so  much  more  than  you 
can  ever  know  that  I  have  made  this  decision," 
said  she.  "The  physicians  all  agree  that'  my 
father  will  probably  live  for  years.  "I  cannot 
consent  to  subject  you  to  the  conditions  in 

which  I  am  placed." 

81 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

In  vain  he  pleaded  and  argued  his  cause. 

"You  are  free,"  declared  Helen. 

"I  cannot  be  free,"  said  he.  "I  am  bound  by 
a  thousand  precious  memories,  by  a  perfect 
companionship,  by  a  love  stronger  than  death. 
I  can  do  no  other  way  than  wait  for  you,  dear- 

_-,!.    » 

est. 

It  was  his  final  word.  She  had  asked  him  not 
to  write,  but  as  the  weeks  went  by  and  no  letter 
came,  no  word  either  of  the  steamship  in  which 
he  sailed,  she  was  conscious  of  passing  into  a 
darker  room  in  the  school  of  suffering  than  she 
had  yet  known.  It  was  hard  to  tell  him  not  to 
wait  for  her,  even  though  she  knew  that  he 
would.  But  now  that  she  was  assured  that  the 
waiting  for  her  would  be  on  the  shores  of 
another  life,  and  hope  was  indeed  buried  in  re- 
gard to  meeting  again  here,  she  realized  that  a 
good  deal  of  her  earthly  content  had  its  roots 
in  his  affection  and  the  will  of  God  had  been 
adorned  by  this  pure,  tried  friendship.  A  deep- 
er lesson  lay  before  her,  to  love  that  will  for 
itself  alone,  unattended  by  anything  dear  or 
sweet  or  cheering  to  the  human  heart.  At  the 

Master's  feet  she  learned  the  losson  victoriously, 

82 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

and  found  it  possible  to  say  "Thy  will  be  done" 
not  only  with  resignation  but  with  a  joy  un- 
speakable and  full  of  glory.  She  had  long 
since  written  to  Eloise  asking  forgiveness  for 
her  first  letter,  but  onty  Laurance  Wilsey  knew 
the  destination  of  the  pleading,  tear-dimmed 
sheet.  When  the  homesick  little  missive  came 
from  France  forbidding  a  reply,  she  could  only 
commit  the  lamb  in  the  wilderness  to  the  Good 
Shepherd.  She  was  sure  that  he  would  find 
it  and  lay  it  on  his  shoulder.  When  the  death 
notice  came  she  felt  strangely  comforted.  Her 
father's  death  left  her  alone  in  the  world.  The 
teacher  at  the  old  academy  was  married,  and 
Miss  W^est  applied  for  the  position,  passed  a 
most  satisfactory  examination,  and  was  ac- 
cepted. Countless  times  she  thought  of  the 
motherless  baby  of  Eloise,  and  wondered  if  it 
yet  lived,  and  longed  with  an  unutterable  long- 
ing to  take  it  in  her  arms.  The  years  had 
passed  with  no  word  of  information  until  that 
afternoon  when  the  Troy  paper  came  into  her 
possession.  Her  soul  was  stirred  to  the  depths. 
Her  sister's  daughter  wa"s  living  and  no  longer 

a  child,  but  soon  to  take  a  woman's  place  in 
83 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

the  world.  And  who  would  claim  that  young 
life — Christ  or  mammon?  Already  the  world,- 
attracted  by  her  youth  and  beauty,  was  ready 
to  receive  her  into  its  glittering  whirl,  and  what 
preparation  had  she  to  meet  its  temptations  and 
disappointments?  Great  tears  rolled  slowly 
down  Helen's  cheeks.  Respected  and  loved  as 
she  was  by  all  the  village  people  from  the  Well- 
fords  on  the  hill  down  to  lame  Jimmy  at  the 
blacksmith's,  she  had  no  kindred  of  whom  she 
knew  anything  except  this  one  young  girl,  and 
she  so  nearly  and  tenderly  related  and  yet  an 
utter  stranger.  Helen  reached  out  for  the 
Bible  that  had  been  her  mother's,  and  then 
dropped  upon  her  knees  sobbing  like  a  child. 
After  a  little  she  felt  that  she  was  not  alone. 
The  room  was  pervaded  by  a  Presence  that 
hushed  her  troubled  spirit  into  calm.  Christ 
was  there,  saying  as  gently  as  on  his  resurrec- 
tion morn,  "Woman,  why  weepest  thou?"  Then 
her  loneliness  and  desire  found  words. 

"0,  Jesus,  my  Saviour!"  she  cried.  "Keep 
my  darling  from  the  evil  that  is  in  the  world. 
Lead  her  to  thyself;  and  0,  if  it  be  possible, 

nay  we  know  and  love  each  other." 
84 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

She  opened  the  torn  Bible  and  read  the 
twenty-third  Psalm.  Then,  arising  from  her 
knees  refreshed  and  quieted,  she  sang  softly,  as 
she  stepped  about  the  room,  now  illuminated 
by  the  sunset: 

"  If  what  I  wish  is  good, 

And  suits  the  will  divine, 
By  earth  and  hell  in  vain  withstood, 

I  know  it  shall  be  mine. 
Still  let  them  counsel  take 

To  frustrate  his  decree  ; 
They  cannot  keep  one  blessing  back, 

By  Heaven  designed  for  me." 

She  did  not  know  what  that  same  hour  had 
brought  to  Edyth  Wilsey,  many  miles  away, 
but  she  knew  that  God  is  love  and  will  withhold 
no  good  thing  from  them  that  walk  uprightly. 
But  even  while  she  prayed  the  silver-worded 
Easter  message  had  flashed  in  the  sunlight 

upon  Edyth  Wilscy's  eyes  into  her  very  heart. 
85 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 


CHAPTEE  IV 

"  TIIE  melancholy  days  have  come, 
The  saddest  of  the  term," 

misquoted  Eleanor  Lee  as  she  stood  on  the 
hearth  rug  and  held  a  sealed  envelope  at  arm's 

length. 

"  When  each  fair  maid  with  fearful  heart 
Her  subject  shall  discern, r' 

continued  Edyth,  looking  at  a  similar  envelope 
of  her  own  with  mingled  dread  and  curiosity. 

"It's  no  use,  girls,"  groaned  Daisy.  "I 
simply  cannot  get  courage  to  open  mine.  "The 
Princess"  ought  to  begin,  she's  the  oldest." 

"Shoot,  if  you  must,  this  old  gray  head," 
said  Serene,  drawing  a  long  silver  arrow  from 
her  hair,  and  letting  a  mass  of  auburn  curls 
ripple  over  her  shoulders.  "I  suppose  I  may  as 
well  leap  into  the  chasm." 

She  cut  open  her  envelope  with  the  arrow 
and  took  therefrom  a  piece  of  paper. 

"0,  this  isn't  so  bad,"  she  exclaimed,  com- 
placently, "  'Art  in  America.'  A  very  nice  sub- 
ject, after  all." 

86 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"It  had  better  be  'Art  in  Rome/  "  suggested 
Eleanor,  picking  up  Serene's  Eoman  history 
that  laid  open  on  the  table  with  a  caricature  of 
the  assistant  principal  on  the  margin  of  the 
next  day's  lesson. 

"Never  mind  my  scrawls,  Mel,"  replied 
Serene.  "It  is  your  turn  now  to  break  the 
seal." 

Eleanor  turned  her  envelope  over  and  over 
with  a  most  provoking  air  of  deliberation,  quot- 
ing Tennyson: 

" '  Take,  take,  break,  break, 
It  may  break  my  heart.'  " 

"Do  hurry,  Mel/'  said  Edyth. 

AYhereupon  Eleanor  produced  the  mystic  slip 
and  read  aloud,  "  'The  AVorks  of  George  Mere- 
dith.' Mercy,  girls,  what  do  I  know  of  that 
man  or  his  books!" 

"Never  mind,  if  you  aren't  posted  now/'  said 
Serene.  "Gram  and  the  encyclopedia  will  tell 
you  all  you  need  to  know,  and  more  than  any- 
body wants  to  hear  on  a  hot  June  morning. 
Anyhow,  it  will  look  well  on  the  program." 

"Guess  I'd  better  scribble  about  'Shams/  " 
87 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

muttered  Eleanor.  Then,  in  a  brighter  tone  to 
Edyth,  "Proceed,  my  dear." 

"No/'  said  Edyth,  "the  valedictory  comes 
last.  It's  'the  Philosopher's'  turn." 

"Well,  I  just  can't,"  said  Daisy,  on  the  verge 
of  tears."  I  never  dreaded  anything  so  much 
since  I  was  young  enough  to  be  shut  in  the 
nursery  closet.  There!  Take  the  tiresome 
thing  and  find  out  for  yourselves!" 

She  tossed  the  envelope  into  Edyth's  lap  and 
went  over  to  the  piano  and  began  to  play  a 
waltz. 

"Come  back,  Daisy!"  cried  Edyth,  "you  have 
the  nicest  subject  of  any." 

"  'Mary's  Little  Lamb  ?'  "  inquired  Eleanor, 
meekly. 

"N"o,"  said  Serene,  looking  over,  "  'Lady 
Jane  Grey/ ': 

"Lady — who?"  asked  Daisy,  wheeling  around 
on  the  piano  stool. 

"Lady  Jane  Grey,"  replied  Serene.  "Such  a 
sweet  subject." 

"Well,  who  was  she,  anyway?"  continued 
Daisy;  "I've  forgotten.  0,  no,  I  haven't, 

either,"  clapping  her  hands;  "wasn't  she  mar- 
88 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

ried  to  the  man  who  wrote  the  piece  about 
'The  curfew  tolls' — you  know — 'Gray's  Eulogy,' 
or  something  like  that  ?" 

"0,  you  little  goose!"  exclaimed  Eleanor; 
"you  mean  Gray's  'Elegy.'  No,  he  wasn't  a 
relative.  Don't  you  remember  the  lovely  young 
lady  who  was  put  to  death  in  the  tower  be- 
cause— " 

"Now,  never  mind,  Mel,"  said  Daisy,  resum- 
ing her  playing,  'I  don't  care  anything  about 
those  dreadful  things.  I  cannot  write  an  essay, 
and  I  shall  ask  to  sing  a  ballad  instead." 

"Suppose  they  cut  two  or  three  inches  off 
from  your  diploma,  Miss  Leslie,"  playfully  sug- 
gested Serene. 

"0,  papa  will  pay  my  way  through,"  replied 
Daisy,  nonchalantly. 

Edyth  had  now  opened  her  envelope. 

"This  is  a  curious  topic,"  said  she,  a  shade 
crossing  her  sunny  face. 

"What  is  it?"  came  in  a  trio  from  the  others. 

"'After  School— What?'"  read  Edyth. 

"Easy  enough,  I  must  say,"  rattled  Eleanor. 
"For  me,  a  rich  husband,  a  topaz  necklace,  and 

fifty  consecutive  nights  at  the  theater." 
89 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"'After  School— What?'"  repeated  Serene, 
half  scornfully.  "I  can  tell  them  readily. 
Travel  and  art  studies  for  me.  Days  and  days 
in  the  grandest  galleries  in  Europe!" 

"Shopping,  and  dancing,  and  singing  for 
me,"  laughed  Daisy. 

"I  do  not  care  to  talk  about  it  to-night, 
girls,"  said  Edyth,  gravely.  "I  begin  to  think 
that  there  is  something  more  to  life  than  we 
have  ever  realized." 

"There,  Edyth,  you  are  getting  dyspeptic  and 
blue  again,"  said  Eleanor.  "I  don't  see  what 
ails  you  of  late." 

"I  know,"  said  Eleanor.  "She  is  preparing  to 
drag  poor  old  Dominie  Yanderhof  to  the  altar, 
and  so  assumes  the  solemnity  suitable  to  the 
mistress  of  the  manse." 

"Nonsense,  Mel,"  replied  Edyth.  "I'm  sure 
I  don't  enjoy  my  serious  thoughts  at  all,  but 
they  will  come.  I  can't  believe  tbat  life  is  just 
a  merry-go-round." 

Silence  fell  on  the  little  group  for  a  few 
moments.  Then  Serene  said,  gayly: 

"'After  School— What?'    I'll  tell  you,  girls. 

Let's  go  away  together  for  a  few  weeks  this  sum- 
90 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

mer,  and  finish  our  schooling  with  a  grand 
frolic.  My  mamma  would  chaperone  us." 

"Capital!"  exclaimed  Eleanor.  "Where  shall 
it  be?" 

"Newport?"  suggested  Edyth. 

"Or  Saratoga?"  said  Daisy. 

"No,"  replied  Serene,  "not  any  such  stylish 
place  as  those.  Some  nice,  comfortable  resort 
where  we  need  not  turn  ourselves  into  fashion 
plates." 

"Mamma  has  a  friend  who  is  always  talking 
of  a  place  below  Long  Branch,  called  Asbury 
Park,"  remarked  Eleanor.  "I  imagine  that  it 
might  answer  our  purpose." 

"Well,  we  can  decide  all  that  later,"  said 
Edyth,  taking  up  her  German  dictionary.  "I 
must  study  every  minute  between  now  and 
bedtime." 

"After  School— What?*'  Far  into  the  night 
Edyth  Wilsey  lay  thinking  of  those  simple 
words.  There  floated  through  her  brain  a  frag- 
ment from  some  sermon  that  she  had  once 
heard,  that  compared  life  with  a  school,  and 
with  the  memory  came  the  question,  After  life 

— what  ? 

91 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"0,"  she  said  to  herself,  "I  wish  I  had  some 
one  to  tell  me  what  I  ought  to  do.  Everything 
is  so  confused  in  my  mind.  It  is  a  strange  thing 
to  be  alive;  and  then  to  know  that  one  must  die 
sometime  and  go  out  alone  into  the  darkness; 
that  is  stranger  still.  I  wish  I  need  not  think  of 
such  things.  They  make  my  heart  heavy.  0, 
mother,  mother!  If  you  had  not  died  you  would 
help  me,  I  know!" 

Edyth  quietly  cried  herself  to  sleep.  Poor 
child!  She  did  not  know  that  the  God  of  all 
light  and  comfort  was  even  then  "not  so  far 
away  as  even  to  be  near." 

The  days  sped  on  to  the  commencement  sea- 
son. The  graduating  exercises  at  Mrs.  Knight's 
seminary  always  attracted  many  guests  from  the 
city  and  the  surrounding  country.  The  broad 
piazzas  and  beautiful  grounds  were  illuminated 
by  hundreds  of  Chinese  lanterns.  A  favorite 
orchestra  from  New  York  was  concealed  in  a 
bower  on  the  lawn.  The  great  drawing-room, 
the  library,  and  the  spacious  schoolroom  be- 
yond all  overflowed  with  roses.  The  class  motto 
in  Greek,  selected  because  it  sounded  well  and 

looked  pretty  when  written,  adorned  the  arch 
92 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

of  a  bay  window.  The  eight  graduates,  with 
shining  eyes,  heightened  color,  and  delicate 
attire,  were  lovelier  in  the  sight  of  parents  and 
friends  than  ever  before.  It  is  the  prerogative 
of  the  girl  graduate  to  be  "sweet."  Even  an 
ordinarily  unattractive  woman  takes  on  some- 
thing of  grace  and  beauty  on  her  marriage  day. 
The  same  is  true  of  the  girl  who  has  just 
stepped  for  the  last  time  from  the  schoolroom 
door,  and  stands  looking  out  into  life  with  a 
world  of  sunny  expectancy  in  her  heart. 

Mrs.  Knight  never  allowed  the  programs  of 
these  occasions  to  become  monotonous  nor  irk- 
some. The  classes  were  usually  small.  The 
essays  were  brief  and  well  interspersed  with 
music  and  recitations.  This  seminary  was  still 
an  especial  pet  of  society,  and  there  was  always 
a  brilliant  display  of  jewels  and  laces  and  shim- 
mering satins.  The  elder  Mrs.  Knight  ap- 
peared like  the  dignified  and  gracious  sovereign 
of  a  wide  realm,  and  as  her  snowy  head  and 
stately  figure,  attired  in  a  robe  of  richest  gray 
silk,  moved  about  among  the  guests,  and  the 
haughty,  handsome  Mrs.  Leverett  Knight  was 

seen  here  and  there,  a  striking  and  elegant  per- 
7  93 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

sonality,  many  a  fan  swayed  back  and  forth  in 
maternal  hands  with  an  air  of  profound  satis- 
faction. 

As  Edyth  Wilsey  took  her  place  upon  the 
platform  there  was  a  hum  of  admiration.  Many 
eyes  were  turned  toward  her  father,  who  stood 
tall  and  dark  and  distinguished-looking  in  the 
doorway;  but  his  stern  features  did  not  betray 
the  pride  and  ambition  that  surged  through  his 
heart  as  he  looked  upon  the  fair  girl  before 
him.  Involuntarily  his  thoughts  turned  back 
to  that  spring  Sunday  morning  in  the  little 
frame  church  at  Sunnyslope  when  he  first  saw 
Edyth's  mother  with  the  cluster  of  arbutus  on 
her  breast. 

"The  girl  is  very  like  her,"  he  said  to  him- 
self, "only  with  a  stronger  frame,  a  stronger 
will,  too.  I  hope  that  she  doesn't  get  any  odd 
notions  into  her  head.  She  shall  make  a  grand 
match.  But  what  is  the  fol-de-rol  she  is  read- 
ing?" 

Edyth  had  thought  and  studied  faithfully  on 
the  subject  assigned  to  her,  but  the  essay  was 
not  a  collection  of  trite  observations  such  as 

the  ordinary  schoolgirl  is  apt  to  inflict  upon  a 
04 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

suffering  audience.  It  was  the  simple  expres- 
sion of  an  earnest  desire  to  know  the  truth  and 
to  do  it,  with  between  the  lines  a  pathetic  appeal 
for  help  and  light  that  would  have  gone  right  to 
the  heart  of  anyone  capable  of  hearing  it.  But 
the  ladies  in  the  audience  were  thinking  more 
of  the  quality  of  her  mull  and  lace,  and  the 
probable  value  of  the  string  of  pearls  that  she 
wore  for  the  first  time;  while  the  men  admired 
her  face  and  voice  and  conjectured  about  her 
father's  wealth.  Mr.  Wilsey  felt  a  serious  im- 
port in  his  daughter's  unpretentious  paper  even 
while  he  did  not  clearly  comprehend  it.  His 
brow  contracted,  but  he  thought,  "A  season  at 
the  Springs  will  cure  her  of  such  nonsense  as 
this  about  truth  and  light."  The  frown  dis- 
appeared as  he  heard  the  applause  and  saw  the 
flowers  that  attended  her  graceful  retreat  from 
the  platform.  After  the  diplomas  were  awarded 
and  the  class  hymn  sung  the  graduates  stood 
under  an  arch  of  roses  in  the  drawing-room  to 
receive  the  congratulations  of  their  friends. 
Then  the  schoolroom  was  cleared  of  chairs,  and 
the  alluring  strains  of  the  "Invitation  to  the 

Dance"  drew  a  gay  bevy  of  young  men  and 
95 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

maidens  in  that  direction.  Edyth  glided 
through  the  first  waltz  accompanied  by  Robert 
Annesley,  the  son  of  a  railroad  magnate,  and 
Mr.  Wilsey  looked  on  with  silent  satisfaction. 
Edyth  refused  to  engage  herself  for  any  other 
dance,  and  asked  to  be  taken  to  her  father. 

"Come,  father,"  she  said,  slipping  her  arm 
through  his,  "let  us  take  a  turn  on  the  lawn. 
It  is  so  warm  indoors." 

"Are  you  so  soon  tired  with  the  dancing?" 
queried  her  father,  as  they  moved  toward  the 
door. 

"I  am  not  fond  of  it,"  she  said,  and  a  wave  of 
color  swept  over  her  face. 

"Somehow  it  seems  to  me  that  waltzing 
cheapens  a  young  girl;  makes  her  less  choice  to 
her  own  self,  at  least." 

"Nonsense!"  replied  her  father,  with  irrita- 
tion. "Don't  make  war  on  the  customs  of  so- 
ciety. I  have  spared  no  expense  on  your  edu- 
cation, and  now  I  want  you  to  sail  in  and  make 
a  sensation.  I  won't  put  up  with  any  puritanic 
notions.  l3o  you  hear  me?" 

They  had  taken  their  places  on  a  broad  settee 

in  a  sheltered  corner  of  the  piazza,  and,  al- 
96 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

though  Mr.  Wilsey  playfully  pulled  a  stray  curl 
as  he  spoke,  there  was  a  grim  resolve  in  the 
words  that  Edyth  felt  like  the  grip  of  muscles 
of  steel.  She  did  not  love  the  grave  thoughts 
that  had  been  haunting  her  of  late.  Why  not 
banish  them?  It  must  surely  be  her  duty  to 
obey  her  father.  She  must  have  been  super- 
human not  to  think  it  agreeable  to  have  plenty 
of  money  at  her  disposal,  and  no  end  of  good 
times  planned  for  her. 

"How  did  you  like  my  essay,  father?"  she 
said. 

"0,  it  was  a  bit  preachy,  was  it  not?  I  can't 
have  such  ideas  in  your  head.  I  make  it  a  point 
never  to  hear  any  sermons  myself,  and  I  don't 
want  my  only  child,  and  a  girl  at  that,  to  turn 
parson.  'After  School — What?'"  he  quoted 
with  a  scornful  smile.  "You  should  have  told 
them  of  the  career  of  conquest  of  a  beautiful 
woman  with  plenty  of  money  behind  her." 

"May  I  ask  your  plans  for  the  summer?"  said 
Edyth. 

"We  leave  here  to-morrow  morning  for  New 
York.  I  suppose  it  will  take  you  a  couple  of 

weeks  to   get  ready  for   Saratoga  and   Lake 
97 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

George,  where  I  mean  to  go  with  you  by  the 
iifteenth  of  next  month.  After  you  give  your 
orders  to  Madam  Moray  for  an  outfit  I  must 
induce  some  kind  friend  to  take  you  under  her 
wing  while  I  am  off  on  a  short  business  trip 
to  Colorado.  I  would  take  you  along,  only  that 
the  journey  would  prove  tiresome  at  this  time 
of  the  year,  and  I  think  you  need  a  rest  after 
your  struggle  with  ologies  and  isms." 

Daisy  Leslie,  dimpled  and  smiling,  was  now 
coming  toward  them,  holding  fast  to  the  gloved 
hand  of  a  portly,  fair,  good-natured  matron,  also 
smiling,  and  attired  in  lavender  moire  and 
point  lace. 

"Good  evening,  Mr.  Wilsey,"  said  the  lady, 
who  had  met  him  once  before  at  a  school  re- 
ception. "This  impulsive  little  girl  of  mine  has 
been  dragging  me  hither  and  yon  in  search  of 
the  valedictorian  of  the  evening/' 

"0,  Mr.  Wilsey,  you  will  say  'yes/  will  you 
not?  It's  just  the  loveliest  plan!" 

"Miss  Daisy's  request  may  be  impossible  to 
grant,  but  Miss  Daisy  herself  is  irresistible  and 
defies  impossibilities.  So  speak,  little  humming- 
bird, if  it  be  to  the  half  of  my  kingdom." 
98 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"Thank  you.,  Mr.  Wilsey,"  replied  Daisy. 
"Well,  we  girls — and  by  Ve'  I  mean  just  'us 
four  and  no  more' — have  talked  over  a  plan  for 
going  down  on  the  Jersey  coast  together  for  a 
few  days  this  summer.  Serene  Dudley  proposed 
it,  but  her  mother  has  to  go  somewhere  else — 
sick  relative  or  something — and  Mamma  Leslie 
is  just  delighted  to  take  her  place." 

"No,  Daisy/'  declared  Mrs.  Leslie,  "I  have 
said  nothing  of  the  kind.  I  only  heard  of  this 
matter  a  quarter  of  an  hour  ago." 

"But  you're  perfectly  willing,"  said  Daisy. 
"You  know  we're  just  worn  to  skeletons  with 
those  dreadful  French  verbs  and  essays  and 
things!" 

Daisy  had  finally  sung  "The  Maid  of  Dundee" 
as  her  part  in  the  exercises. 

"Yes,  you  look  like  a  much-wilted  little 
Daisy,"  said  Mrs.  Leslie,  fondly  patting  the 
round  rosy  cheek,  "and  I  believe  a  few  whiffs 
of  sea  air  will  do  you  good." 

"Can  Edyth  go,  Mr.  Wilsey?"  asked  Daisy. 

"I  must  say  that  the  plan  fits  very  nicely  into 
my  own  arrangements,"  replied  he.  "I  was  just 

wondering  what  to  do  with  my  daughter  while 
99 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

I  take  a  run  out  to  the  wild  West  early  in  next 
month." 

"I  will  be  very  happy  with  Mrs.  Leslie  and 
the  girls,  father/'  said  Edyth. 

"Then  we  will  consider  it  settled,"  said  he. 
"But  what  place  will  it  be?" 

"Asbury  Park,"  said  Daisy. 

"Why  not  the  Branch?"  said  Mr.  Wilsey. 

"Too  dressed  up,"  answered  Daisy.  "We'll 
have  enough  of  such  places  later." 

"Well,  I  will  run  down  to  Asbury  Park  to- 
morrow and  see  about  rooms  and  board,  if  you 
are  sure  that  the  arrangement  is  agreeable  to  the 
other  young  ladies." 

"0,  yes,  Mr.  Wilsey,"  said  Daisy.  "We  were 
talking  with  them  just  before  we  came  to  find 
you.  Come,  mamma,  I  want  you  to  meet  Pro- 
fessor Grunwald's  new  wife,  die  Tcleine  Profes- 
sor in" 

They  turned  away,  and  Mr.  Wilsey  and  Edyth 
followed  them  into  the  seminary.  Edyth's  at- 
tention was  immediately  claimed  by  several 
young  people  in  the  drawing-room.  Mr.  Wilsey 
engaged  in  conversation  with  Mr.  Dupont,  with 

whom  he  had  a  slight  acquaintance. 
100 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

It  was  not  Mr.  Wilsey's  policy  to  allow  any 
one  to  know  much  about  himself.  He  had  long 
since  severed  his  relations  with  the  business 
house  with  which  he  was  connected  at  the  time 
of  his  marriage.  Mr.  Dupont  was  a  society 
man,  a  confirmed  bachelor  of  enough  property 
to  support  him  in  elegant  idleness,  and  a  vet- 
eran adviser  to  hostesses  as  to  new  and  pleasing 
modes  of  dispensing  hospitality.  His  practiced 
eye  had  observed  the  Wilseys  as  probable  ap- 
plicants for  social  honors,  and  his  curiosity  was 
stimulated  in  regard  to  them,  while  his  good 
nature  prompted  him  to  assist  so  beautiful  a  girl 
as  Edyth  to  the  success  of  which  he  felt  sure 
she  was  worthy.  Moreover,  there  was  nothing 
lent  so  much  amusement  to  his  somewhat  blase 
existence  as  to  watch  the  struggle  of  new  people 
to  gain  a  foothold  on  the  sacred  summit  of 
social  preferment,  a  height  held  and  intrenched 
by  a  few  old  families  of  ancient  traditions,  good 
breeding,  but  not  unlimited  wealth.  Mr. 
Wilsey  informed  Mr.  Dupont  with  dignity,  in 
response  to  inquiry,  that  he  expected  to  become 
a  permanent  resident  of  New  York  in  the  early 

autumn,  and  that  he  was  already  negotiating  for 
101 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

a  new  house  then  being  erected  on  Central  Park 
West. 

On  a  divan  just  opposite  the  two  men  Mrs. 
Van  Ross,  the  wife  of  an  elderly  retired  banker, 
and  her  niece,  Miss  Corwin,  daughter  of  a. 
judge  of  high  renown,  were  conversing  to- 
gether. 

"I  do  not  think  the  seminary  is  as  exclusive 
as  it  used  to  be  when  you  were  here,  Cordelia," 
Mrs.  Van  Ross  was  saying  in  her  low,  cold  tone. 
"It  is  a  great  pity  that  wealth  and  not  blood  is 
coming  to  be  the  passport  into  American  so- 
ciety. Among  the  few  things  that  money 
should  not  be  able  to  buy  is  the  entree  into  high 
life." 

"But,  Aunt  Dorothea,"  said  Miss  Corwin,  "if 
people  are  well-bred  they  are  not  at  all  obnox- 
ious, even  if  they  cannot  display  a  pedigree 
dating  back  to  William  of  Orange.  I  am  sure 
that  all  these  young  ladies  appear  well.  That 
Miss  Wilsey  is  exceptionally  attractive." 

"A  girl  who  probably  does  not  know  the 
maiden  name  of  either  great-grandmother.  I 
have  heard  that  her  father  was  once  an  actor, 

third-rate,  of  course,  and  that  he  became  sud- 
102 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

clenly  rich,  and  that  not  by  inheritance.  There 
are  whispers  of  an  occasional  sojourn  at  Monte 
Carlo.  At  any  rate,  he  is  often  abroad." 

"Well,"  said  Miss  Corwin,  who  had  imbibed 
some  of  the  hopelessly  democratic  ideas  of  her 
day  and  generation,  "he  has  a  fine  presence  and 
shows  the  polish  of  foreign  travel,  and  I  do  not 
see  why  the  charming  daughter  should  be  re- 
pressed because  of  the  father's  dubious  reputa- 
tion/' 

"But,  my  dear  Cordelia,"  said  Mrs.  Van 
Boss,  with  a  flash  from  her  steel-blue  eyes  that 
almost  seemed  to  light  up  the  remarkable  nose 
that  she  was  proud  to  have  inherited  from  a 
Dutch  admiral,  "unless  some  of  the  best 
families  set  themselves  against  this  rush  of 
people  who  are  continually  springing  up  from 
nothing  society  will  be  completely  undermined. 
I  shall  not  countenance  these  Wilseys." 

Just  at  this  point  Mr.  Dupont  approached  in 
his  suavest  manner,  but  with  secret  merriment, 
and  asked  if  he  might  present  Mr.  Wilsey,  the 
father  of  the  valedictorian. 

Mr.  Wilsey  divined  the  question,  and  caught 

the  involuntary  glance  of  disapproval  darted  in 
103 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

his  direction  by  the  elder  lady.  He  perceived 
that  she  refused  an  introduction,  and  his  dark 
face  grew  darker  as  he  turned  and  made  his  way 
out  again  to  the  piazza. 

Mr.  Dupont,  not  at  all  nonplused,  immedi- 
ately changed  the  subject  and  inquired: 

"Where's  Kylmer  to-night?" 

"We  simply  could  not  persuade  him  to  come, 
and  I  suppose  the  dear  boy  is  with  his  cousin, 
Gretchen  von  Eoosbeck." 

Mr.  Dupont  flashed  a  look  at  Miss  Corwin, 
whose  eyes  danced  with  fun  behind,  just  above 
her  satin  fan.  He  maintained  a  serious  coun- 
tenance, although  with  difficulty,  for  everyone 
knew  that  Mrs.  Van  Eoss  had  set  her  heart  on 
the  alliance  of  her  only  son  and  heir  with  the 
plain  and  ponderous  Miss  Gretchen,  whose  only 
attractiveness  lay  in  substantial  property  and 
her  irreproachable  descent.  Everyone  also  knew 
that  Kylmer  Van  Ross  did  not  speed  his  wooing, 
and  that  his  mother's  air  castles  were  destined 
to  vanish  into  their  original  ether. 

Mrs.  Van  Ross  was  the  real  arbiter  of  the 
innermost  circle  of  New  York  society,  though 

beloved  by  few.    Dupont  would  like  no  better 
104 


THE  KIND'S  GOLD 

amusement  than  to  see  her  thoroughly  routed, 
even  while  he  posed  as  her  man  Friday.  Not 
being  weighted  with  conscientious  scruples,  he 
conceived  the  idea  of  causing  Edyth  Wilsey  to 
arise  on  Kylmer's  horizon,  and  so  introduce  a 
little  drama  with  no  emd  of  interesting  situ- 
ations to  an  onlooker  like  himself. 

The  next  morning  Edyth  said  farewell  to 
teachers  and  school  friends  and  joined  her  fa- 
ther in  the  city.  He  had  taken  apartments  at 
the  Windsor,  and  ordered  luncheon  sent  up  to 
the  luxurious  little  parlor.  While  Edyth  dallied 
with  her  strawberry  ice  and  cake  Mr.  Wilsey 
pushed  back  his  chair  and  regarded  her  critic- 
ally. His  soul  grew  bitter  at  the  thought 
that  this  lovely  girl,  who  could  adorn  any  circle, 
must  be  made  to  feel  her  lack  of  aristocratic 
antecedents. 

"She  shall  not  lack  admission  to  even  the 
Van  Eoss  mansion,"  he  said  to  himself,  "even  if 
it  takes  all  my  wealth  to  accomplish  it!" 

After  the  remains  of  the  luncheon  had  been 
removed,  he  said,  with  unusual  kindness,  but 
gravely: 

"Edyth,  there  are  some  things  I  wish  to  say 
105 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

to  you.  You  and  I  must  understand  each 
other.  I  have  given  you  "brilliant  advantages, 
and  my  only  desire  is  that  you  shall  achieve  a 
great  social  success.  Unfortunately,  your 
mother's  family  and  my  own,  while  entirely 
respectable,  were  not  of  the  class  to  transmit  to 
you  pride  of  birth,  and  you  will  be  made  to  feel 
that  fact  by  some  who  will  flaunt  a  pedigree  in 
your  face.  My  plan  for  you  is  to  place  you  by 
marriage  on  a  secure  footing  socially.  What 
I  ask  of  you  is  implicit  obedience  to  my  direc- 
tions. As  I  told  you  last  night,  I  wish  no 
straight-laced  notions.  What  have  you  to  say, 
Edyth?" 

He  spoke  the  name  with  a  tenderness  he  had 
never  before  manifested,  and  the  tone  went 
right  to  the  heart  of  the  lonely  girl. 

"Perhaps,"  she  thought,  "after  all,  he  will 
be  more  loving  now,"  and  the  idea  gave  her  such 
a  thrill  of  happiness,  that  she  cared  little  for 
all  that  he  had  said,  except  that  he  desired  her 
to  be  happy,  and  would  try  to  make  her  so. 
He  was  offering  her  a  cluster  of  roses  with  many 
hidden  thorns.  Soon  the  roses  would  fade,  and 

only  the  thorns  remain  in  the  soft  young  hands. 
106 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

But  she  saw  only  the  blossoms,  and  replied  to 
his  question: 

"I  do  not  think  you  will  make  it  difficult 
to  obey  you,  sir." 

He  then  sent  her  to  her  room  to  rest  for  a 
few  hours. 

"There  are  some  new  novels  on  the  table,  if 
you  care  to  read,"  he  said,  as  she  moved  toward 
the  door.  "At  half-past  four  we  will  drive  in 
the  park." 

Edyth  stepped  back  and  kissed  him  on  the 
forehead  and  left  him,  pausing  on  her  way  to 
pick  up  a  bit  of  trash  by  "The  Duchess." 
Having  reached  her  room,  she  donned  a  cool 
white  wrapper,  and,  book  in  hand,  dropped  into 
an  easy  chair,  but  not  to  read.  Everything 
was  changed.  The  careless  schooldays  were 
over  at  last.  Her  feet  pressed  the  shore  of  a 
new  world.  She  felt  strange  and  lonely  in  spite 
of  her  father's  plans  for  her  ease  and  pleasure. 
The  ever-present  longing  for  a  mother's  love 
and  companionship  asserted  itself  with  fresh 
power  in  her  soul.  Laurance  Wilsey  was  not  a 
man  who  would  have  cared  for  his  child  had  she 

been  born  a  cripple  or  blind.    He  was  intensely 
107 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

selfish,  and  prized  her,  not  for  the  sweetness  she 
could  bring  into  his  life,  but  as  the  instrument 
of  advancing  his  worldly  ambitions. 

At  four  o'clock  Edyth  presented  herself  in  the 
parlor.  Her  father  scrutinized  her  closely. 
She  looked  exquisitely  lovely  in  her  delicate 
blue  gown  and  white  plumed  hat.  He  handed 
her  a  large  cluster  of  marguerites,  which  she 
fastened  in  her  belt.  Then  they  descended  to- 
gether to  the  entrance,  where  a  victoria  and  a 
pair  of  spirited  bays  awaited  them.  All  of  fash- 
ionable New  York  had  not  yet  fled  to  the  moun- 
tains or  shore,  for  there  had  been  a  lingering 
spring,  and  the  hot  weather  had  only  just  set  in. 
All  over  the  city  there  were  women  toiling  in 
crowded,  sweltering  attics  for  a  morsel  of  bread, 
women  who  must  continue  to  toil  all  summer  in 
hunger  and  pain;  but  in  the  park,  women  from 
cool,  opulent  homes,  reclining  on  satin  cushions, 
rode  by  the  fresh  green  acres,  enjoying  the  light 
breeze,  and  congratulated  themselves  on  a 
speedy  escape  from  the  unbearable  discomforts 
of  the  town  in  warm  weather. 

Mr.  Wilsey  was  swift  to  perceive  that  many 

an  eye  flashed  with  interest  as  Edyth's  fair, 
108 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

sweet  face  was  seen,  and  men  and  women  turned 
questionably  toward  each  other  as  they  passed 
the  Wilseys'  carriage.  Two  young  men  in  a 
light  wagon  had  paused  near  the  obelisk,  and 
were  engaged  in  a  friendly  difference  concern- 
ing some  fact  in  its  long  history,  the  result  of 
which  was  to  settle  a  wager  made  at  the  club 
the  night  before.  One  of  them  suddenly  broke 
off  his  sentence,  and  said  in  a  low,  hurried 
tone  to  the  other: 

"Quick,  Dort!    There's  a  picture!" 
It  was  Kylmer  Van  Boss  that  spoke,  and  even 
as  the  words  left  his  lips  the  Wilseys  had  gone 

by- 

"Quite  divinely  fair!"  exclaimed  his  com- 
panion. "Who  is  she,  Van?" 

"A  Fra  Angelico  angel!"  replied  he,  looking 
after  the  retiring  wheels. 

"No,  a  Del  Sarto  madonna/'  declared  Dort 
Harribee,  "more  human  than  an  angel,  but 
just  as  beautiful.  But  to  return  to  the  obe- 
lisk—" 

"Confound  the  obelisk!"  retorted  Kylmer 
Van  Eoss.  "That's  a  face  you  see  but  once  in 

a  lifetime.       The    man    is    Laurance    Wilsey. 
8  109 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

Nobody  knows  much  about  him,  and  the  girl 
must  be  his  daughter,  just  brought  out  from 
some  Canadian  school  for  naiads." 

Kylmer  so  far  forgot  himself  as  to  give  his 
pet  gray  mare  a  sharp  little  cut  with  the  whip, 
which  she  resented  in  so  spirited  a  manner 
that  conversation  came  to  an  end  for  the  time 
being,  and  the  light  vehicle  fairly  flew  along  the 
road. 

Laurance  Wilsey  knew  Kylmer  Van  Ross  by 
sight,  and  did  not  miss  the  start  of  surprise 
with  which  that  scion  of  an  ancient  family 
observed  the  unconscious  Edyth.  The  attitude 
of  Mrs.  Van  Ross  the  night  previous  rankled 
sorely  in  his  mind,  and  now  he  smiled  grimly 
as  the  victoria  rolled  on. 

That  evening  he  took  his  daughter  to  the 
theater.  A  certain  play  had  been  so  immensely 
popular  during  the  spring  season  that  it  had 
run  on  into  the  summer.  The  Wilseys  had  a 
box  to  themselves.  Edyth  shrank  from  view  in 
the  shelter  of  the  hangings,  but  her  father's 
striking  face  was  clearly  outlined  against  the 
white  and  gold  background. 

"She's  there,   Van,  she's   there!"  said  Dort 
110 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

Ilarribee  sotto  voce,  laying  down  his  opera 
glasses.  "You  can't  see  anything  but  a  pair 
of  pearl  gloves,  a  white  fan,  and  an  occasional 
glimpse  of  a  small  nose." 

Kylmer  Van  Ross  caught  up  the  glasses,  and 
looked  long  in  the  direction  indicated  by  his 
friend,  but  with  no  further  results. 

"What  have  you  found,  fellows,  that  is  at  all 
new  or  striking?"  yawned  Robert  Annesley, 
who  was  one  of  the  party.  "I  know  this  play 
by  heart." 

"Why,  Van  was  quite  struck  by  a  pretty  face 
in  the  park  this  afternoon.  It  belongs,  we 
think,  to  a  Miss  Wilsey." 

"Whew!"  said  Annesley,  softly.  "I  hardly 
dare  to  state  my  own  good  fortune  in  that  di- 
rection." 

"What  do  you  mean?"  said  Kylmer,  sharply, 
turning  on  him  suddenly. 

"Only  this.  My  sister  is  one  of  the  alumnae 
of  Mrs.  Knight's  seminary,  and  to  please  her  I 
attended  as  her  escort  the  commencement  exer- 
cises last  night.  This  Miss  Wilsey  read  a  vale- 
dictory that  would  have  melted  Prince  Bismarck 

himself.     Such  affairs  generally  make  a  man 
ill 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

wish  that  he  was  born  in  China,  but  this  wa» 
really  an  exception.  I  was  introduced  to  Miss 
Wilsey,  and  danced  with  her.  She  is  uncom- 
monly pretty,  and  they  say  that  Papa  Wilsey'is 
ducats  are  no  trifle.  If  it  weren't  for  Marjorie 
I'd  go  in  and  win." 

"Come,  now,  Bob  Annesley,  just  stir  your- 
self a  little  between  the  acts,  won't  you,  and 
see  what  you  can  do  for  an  old  friend.  But 
here  comes  Dupont,  late  as  usual,  from  his 
everlasting  dinner  at  Madam  So-and-So's. 
Heigho,  Ponty,  we're  discussing  the  Wilseys — 
new  people." 

"Yes,  that  girl  is  destined  to  cut  a  wide 
swath  in  town  next  season,"  said  Dupont.  "Saw 
her  last  night  at  Knight's  school." 

"Well,  now,  old  chap,"  said  Van  Ross,  "if  you 
and  Bob  don't  smuggle  me  into  that  box  before 
nine-thirty  you  shall  never  have  another  whiff 
of  my  Havanas." 

Thus  it  was  that  when  the  curtain  fell  on  the 
second  act  Dupont  and  Annesley  made  their 
way  to  the  box  occupied  by  the  Wilseys,  and 
after  chatting  a  while  asked  permission  to  pre- 
sent a  couple  of  friends.  Mr.  Wilsey  assented, 
112 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

and  the  two  young  men  were  accordingly 
brought  over  and  presented,  and  were  received 
graciously.  When  the  play  was  done,  and 
Edyth  had  returned  with  her  father  to  the 
hotel,  she  felt  that  it  was  certainly  pleasant  to 
be  young  and  rich  and  at  least  not  very  ugly 
in  one's  appearance.  Also  it  was  gratifying  to 
her  to  note  the  look  of  satisfaction  on  her  fa- 
ther's usually  noncommittal  face. 

Kylmer  Van  Ross  lay  awake  for  some  hours 
that  night.  This  son  of  an  exclusive  mother 
had  not  proved  so  far  in  his  record  to  be  a 
credit  to  his  race.  Society  blinks  at  many  de- 
fects in  the  life  of  a  young  man  who  is  well- 
born and  wealthy,  and  Mrs.  Van  Eoss  was  to- 
tally blind  to  any  glimpse  of  wrong  in  her  son. 
But  Kylmer  was  woefully  in  debt  just  now  for 
horses,  wines,  and  other  luxuries,  and  he  had 
a  strong  aversion  to  an  appeal  to  his  father,  as 
the  last  time  that  the  elder  Van  Ross  had  set 
his  son  on  his  feet  financially  it  had  been  with 
a  scathing  broadside  of  rebuke,  and  a  threat  to 
leave  him  to  his  own  destruction  in  the  future. 
Kylmer  did  not  share  his  mother's  reverence  for 

pedigree,  neither  did  he  enter  into  her  project 
113 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

for  an  alliance  with  his  cousin,  whom  he  cor- 
dially hated;  but  it  had  begun  to  seem  to  him 
that  to  marry  her  was  the  only  way  out  of  his 
monetary  difficulties.  Edyth  \Yilsey  had  ap- 
peared on  the  scene  in  the  nick  of  time,  and  her 
soft,  girlish  loveliness  and  agreeable  manners 
pleased  him,  and  her  father's  gold  glinted  in 
his  dreams  all  night.  As  for  Laurance  Wilsey, 
he  saw  the  impression  that  had  been  made  on 
Van  Eoss  at  the  theater.  He  knew  the  char- 
acter of  the  man,  but  that  was  a  secondary  con- 
sideration, or  even  less.  He  believed  there  was 
nothing  that  money  could  not  do,  and  he  was 
willing  to  barter  his  child's  future  happiness  for 
a  gallery  of  genuine  old  portraits,  and  a  yellow 

parchment  with  a  list  of  great  names. 
114 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 


CHAPTEK  V 

Mil.  WILSEY  had  been  to  Colorado  and  back, 
and  Edyth  had  remained  with  the  Leslies  at 
their  country  house  near  Tarrytown,  for  the 
Asbury  Park  trip  had  been  postponed  until 
August  on  account  of  the  serious  illness  of 
Serene  Dudley.  The  first  of  July  found  the 
Wilseys  registered  at  the  United  States  Hotel 
iii  Saratoga.  Edyth  had  not  the  shallow  nature 
that  could  long  be  content  with  a  butterfly  ex- 
istence, but  for  the  present  she  enjoyed  her 
wardrobe  of  fresh,  dainty  gowns  and  hats,  the 
long,  lovely  drives  to  the  lake  and  through  the 
beautiful  country,  the  morning  dallying  at  the 
springs,  the  orchestra  concerts  on  the  piazzas, 
the  fireworks  in  the  park,  and  the  garden 
parties.  She  had  been  there  but  one  week  when 
she  came  face  to  face  on  the  piazza  one  evening 
with  Kylmer  Van  Eoss.  His  mother  sat  by  and 
saw  the  meeting,  but  even  she  could  find  no 
fault  with  the  appearance  or  demeanor  of  the 
fair  girl  who  looked  like  a  lily  in  her  silvery 

draperies  and  pure  pearls,  and  carried  herself 
115 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

like  a  princess.  There  was  a  perceptible  thaw- 
ing of  the  frigid  heart  beneath  that  haughty 
exterior.  Kylmer  Van  Ross  was  incapable  of  a 
noble,  genuine  affection  for  anyone.  lie  loved 
himself  too  devotedly  to  receive  the  expulsive 
power  of  a  new  affection.  He  had  no  compre- 
hension of  love  in  its  unselfishness  and  sacred- 
ness;  but  he  had  a  faculty  of  saying  pretty 
things,  and  of  rendering  delicate  attentions.  He 
had  a  good  deal  of  general  information  and  a 
ready  wit,  and  could  make  himself  very  com- 
panionable when  he  had  his  own  advantage  in 
view.  He  had  not  been  long  in  Saratoga  before 
he  made  Edyth  believe  that  he  loved  her  with 
the  one  love  of  his  life.  He  fancied  her,  it  is  true; 
he  liked  to  be  with  her;  he  lavished  money  on 
her  that  rightfully  belonged  to  his  tailor. 
Edyth  looked  naturally  to  her  father  for  ad- 
vice, and  he  encouraged  the  acquaintance,  keep- 
ing himself  a  good  deal  in  the  background. 
Edyth  did  not  know  that  he  was  inwardly  exult- 
ing over  the  downfall  of  the  maternal  Van 
Ross,  who  at  first  raged  in  her  own  apartments, 
then  lapsed  into  an  injured  silence,  but  finally 

consented  to  have  the  girl  without  a  great- 
116 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

grandmother  introduced  to  her,  and  at  last  in- 
vited Edyth  to  a  seat  in  her  carriage.  Mr.  Van 
Eoss  had  just  lost  very  heavily  in  some  Western 
enterprise.  Perhaps  she  could  not  afford  to 
maintain  her  inflexible  attitude  toward  a  girl 
whose  father  was  negotiating  for  a  palatial 
mansion  overlooking  Central  Park,  "for  dear 
Kylmer  has  expensive  tastes." 

If  Edyth  had  been  a  little  older,  with  a  better 
knowledge  of  herself  and  of  human  nature,  she 
would  not  have  cared  at  all  for  Kylmer  Van 
Eoss.  But  inexperienced  as  she  was,  affection- 
ate, and  with  confidence  in  her  father's  judg- 
ment, she  gave  to  her  lover  a  wealth  of  sincere 
devotion  and  tender  appreciation  that  was  as  if 
one  had  returned  a  handful  of  bonbons  with  the 
Kohinoor  itself.  Edyth  was  haunted  by  no 
more  grave  wonderings  during  these  glittering 
days.  She  had  no  thought  but  for  Kylmer. 
Life  was  a  dream  of  splendor  and  sweetness. 
Laurance  Wilsey  was  silently  triumphant,  Mrs. 
Van  Eoss  resigned,  and  her  son  radiant  with 
self-satisfaction.  The  fifth  of  August  came  a 
letter  from  Eleanor  Lee,  who  was  now  visiting 

the  Leslies  on  the  Hudson. 
117 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"Now  that  Serene  is  quite  well,"  she  wrote, 
"we  must  have  our  little  stay  at  the  seashore. 
I  know  you  must  be  having  a  perfectly  gorgeous 
time,  but  do  tear  yourself  away  for  a  week  or 
two,  for  the  sake  of  the  dear  old  days  that  are 
gone  forever.  Don't  bring  any  French  flum- 
mery. A  blue  serge,  one  wash  dress,  and  a 
white  wool  for  evenings  complete  my  list." 

"What's  the  use  of  this  jaunt,  Edyth?"  in- 
quired Kylmer.  "Aren't  you  contented  here 
with  me?" 

"Measurably  so,"  replied  Edyth,  laughing, 
"but  I  must  not  disappoint  the  girls." 

"Can  a  fellow  run  down  to  that  barbarous 
Jersey  coast  during  the  carrying  out  of  this 
brilliant  scheme?" 

"Certainly  not,"  she  replied,  teasingly,  "for 
this  is  an  auld  lang  syne  affair,  and  you  are 
only  a  modern  innovation." 

"But  I  shall  surely  come,"  he  said. 

Mr.  Wilsey  accompanied  Edyth  to  Tarrytown, 
where  motherly  Mrs.  Leslie  and  a  merry  trio  of 
girls  joined  them.  They  lunched  together  in 
New  York,  and  took  an  early  afternoon  train 

from  Jersey  City.    Many  a  passenger  smiled  out 
118 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

of  pure  sympathy  with  the  bright  faces  of  the 
younger  portion  of  the  party.  It  was  so  evi- 
dent that  they  were  off  for  a  grand  good  time. 

"Here  you  are!"  shouted  the  stage  drivers, 
standing  in  line  at  the  Asbury  Park  station. 

"This  way  for  the  West  End!" 

"This  way  for  the  Coleman!" 

"Here  you  be  for  the  Ocean  Hotel!"  screamed 
a  third. 

But  our  travelers  had  not  come  for  a  hotel 
life,  and  Mr.  Wilsey,  at  the  earnest  solicitations 
of  the  girls,  had  engaged  board  at  a  private 
house  overlooking  the  surf.  They  were  soon  on 
their  way  in  the  lumbering  omnibus,  passing 
picturesque  little  cottages,  and  getting  an  oc- 
casional glimpse  of  Wesley  Lake,  lined  with 
pretty  summer  homes,  and  dotted  with  row- 
boats  bright  with  scarlet  cushions  and  gay, 
striped  awnings.  A  strong  breeze  swept  up 
from  the  sea. 

"It  is  an  elixir!"  cried  Serene,  her  white 
cheeks  already  taking  on  a  tinge  of  pink. 

"Is  that  the  same  village  on  the  other  side 
of  the  lake?"  asked  Edyth. 

"No,    dear,"   said   Eleanor   Lee.      "That   is 
119 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

Ocean  Grove,  an  awfully  stupid  place  where 
they  have  Methodist  meetings  night  and  day, 
and  fine  you  ten  cents  every  time  you  smile  on 
Sunday.  It's  as  different  as  can  be  over  here. 
I've  heard  Charlotte  Mills  tell  all  about  it." 

The  stage  rattled  along  down  one  broad 
avenue  to  the  shore,  then  turned  and  proceeded 
two  or  three  blocks,  and  finally  stopped  at  the 
entrance  of  a  large  cottage,  whose  numerous 
balconies  and  piazzas  suggested  delightful  chats 
and  promenades  and  bits  of  reading  in  full  view 
of  the  glorious  ocean. 

"It  seems  rather  primitive,"  remarked  Mrs. 
Leslie,  somewhat  dubiously  surveying  the  pine 
walls,  straw  matting,  and  painted  blue  furniture 
of  the  room  that  had  been  assigned  to  her. 

"0,  mamma,  this  is  just  what  we  want.  It's 
a  dry  way  of  camping  out,  you  know." 

Mrs.  Leslie  smothered  a  sigh,  and  tried  to 
content  herself  by  a  glance  at  the  magnificent 
expanse  of  sea  and  sky  and  the  long  lines  of 
foaming  breakers,  but  congratulated  herself 
secretly  that  there  are  only  seven  days  in  one 
week.  A  ripple  of  laughter  from  the  next  room, 

which  the  four  girls  had  insisted  on  occupying 
120 


THE  KIXG'S  GOLD 

together,  did  more  to  reconcile  her  kind  heart 
than  anything  else.  Mr.  Wilsey  left  that  even- 
ing. He  had  business  in  Boston  and  Montreal, 
and  would  return  in  time  to  escort  the  party 
back  to  to\vn.  He  was  in  a  most  amiable  mood, 
for  his  plans  were  working  to  his  perfect  satis- 
faction. The  girls  spent  the  evening  on  the  lake, 
gayly  imagining  that  the  pretty  but  common- 
place body  of  water  was  the  Grand  Canal, 
that  the  rowboat  was  a  veritable  gondola,  and 
that  they  were  ladies  of  high  rank  with  long, 
melodious  names.  The  next  morning  they 
donned  their  serge  dresses  and  broad-brimmed 
hats,  bought  each  a  wooden  pail  and  a  shovel, 
invested  in  a  joint  bag  of  caramels  and  macca- 
roons,  and  betook  themselves  to  the  beach  with 
two  large  umbrellas,  several  shawls  and  the  last 
Harpers.  They  scorned  the  pavilions  crowded 
with  dainty  lawns  and  embroideries,  and 
wandered  far  up  the  plank  walk  where  pedes- 
trians are  few.  Each  damsel  having  provided 
for  herself  a  most  comfortable  shawl-lined 
sleepy  hollow  in  the  white  sea  sand  by  means  of 
diligent  shoveling,  the  umbrellas  were  firmly 

planted,    and   the   four   friends   proceeded   to 
121 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

enjoy  the  serenity  of  the  morning  and  the 
waves  lapping  lazily  on  the  shore,  while  Eleanor 
read  aloud  a  short  story  by  a  favorite  writer. 

"This  is  happiness!"  exclaimed  Serene,  idly 
aiming  a  white  pebble  at  a  bunch  of  seaweed 
and  hitting  Edyth,  who  sat  in  exactly  the  op- 
posite direction.  "Please  don't  anyone  propose 
to  do  anything  else,  so  as  to  suggest  that  there 
is  ever  going  to  be  any  end  to  this." 

"Just  see  what  beautiful  lace  each  wave  leaves 
on  the  shore!"  said  Edyth. 

Edyth  had  not  confided  to  her  father  the 
fact  of  her  recent  engagement  to  Kylmer  Van 
Eoss,  neither  had  she  yet  ventured  to  put  on 
the  brilliant  solitaire  he  had  given  her.  But 
she  smiled  with  a  happy  consciousness  of  her 
secret.  There  was  probably  even  now  a  letter 
for  her  in  the  morning  mail,  her  first  love-letter. 

"Shall  you  cross  the  ocean  this  autumn, 
Serene?"  asked  Eleanor. 

"I  hope  so,"  she  replied,  "and  yet  I  have  such 
a  dread  of  being  out  at  sea.  I  would  not  draw 
one  easy  breath  until  the  ship  entered  the 
harbor." 

"The  ocean  looks  peaceful  enough  this  morn- 
122 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

ing,"  said  Edyth,  dreamily  watching  the  sun- 
light flash  on  the  gently  swelling  waves. 

"Yes,  but  contrast  this  with  a  black  mid- 
night, a  raging  tempest,  a  foundering  ship!" 
declaimed  Eleanor,  in  her  most  tragic  style. 

"Don't  talk  of  such  things,  please,  girls," 
pleaded  little  Daisy,  with  a  shudder.  "It  makes 
the  sunlight  dim.  I'm  so  afraid  to  die." 

"So  am  I,"  said  Serene,  "and  yet  I  some- 
times wonder  why  I  need  to  be  afraid.  If  there 
is  a  heaven  it  is  much  more  beautiful  than  this 
world,  and  I  would  think  anyone  might  be  glad 
to  go  there." 

"It's  a  foreign  land  to  most  people,"  said 
Eleanor. 

"But  mother  had  an  aunt  once,  a  lovely  old 
lady,  who  used  to  call  it  'home.'  It  is  never 
hard  nor  strange  to  go  home,  girls!" 

Edyth  had  changed  her  position  and  had 
closed  her  eyes.  Into  the  indolent  brightness 
of  the  summer  morning  a  shadow  had  crept. 
But  what  had  she  to  do  with  shadows?  She 
would  take  her  life  as  it  came  to  her,  fresh, 
radiant,  dazzling  with  love  and  pleasure.  She 

turned  merrily  to  her  mates  and  said: 
123 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"Who  is  it  now  that  has  the  blues!  Those 
matters  troubled  me  a  little  that  last  term  at 
the  seminary,  but  I  have  cast  them  to  the  four 
winds.  Let  us  talk  only  of  what  is  agreeable. 
I  will  tell  you  of  a  garden  party  at  the  Grand 
Union." 

Thus  the  time  passed  until  the  noon  dinner 
hour,  when  the  four  maidens  gathered  up  their 
belongings  and  started  for  the  cottage.  On  the 
way  they  met  a  slight  acquaintance  of  Edyth's, 
petite,  effusive  Mrs.  Leroy,  who  paused  to  chat 
with  her  a  few  moments  while  the  other  girls 
passed  on. 

"0,  my  dear  Miss  Wilsey,"  she  exclaimed,  "I 
am  so  happy  to  see  you.  When  did  you  come, 
and  where  are  you  stopping?" 

Edyth  having  indicated  the  cottage,  which 
was  near  by,  the  lady  continued: 

"Why,  we  are  almost  neighbors,  aren't  we? 
I  am  at  the  Coleman,  and  just  the  forlornest  of 
mortals.  My  physician  ordered  me  here  instead 
of  to  the  Branch — said  it  would  be  quieter  for 
my  nerves;  for  you  know  I  still  have  those  ter- 
rible attacks  with  my  head.  But  I  am  nearly 

dying  of  ennui.    My  husband  is  only  here  from 
124 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

Saturday  night  until  Monday  morning.  I  wish 
you  would  come  and  spend  a  day  with  me;  will 
you  not?" 

"Thank  you,"  replied  Edyth,  "I  hardly  think 
I  can  desert  the  girls  for  so  long  a  time,  but  I 
will  come  and  call  on  you  some  afternoon." 

Edyth  spoke  with  a  sinking  heart,  for  she  was 
not  fond  of  the  nervous,  vapid  little  woman, 
and  bade  her  good  morning  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible. When  she  reached  the  cottage  the  three 
girls  sat  with  dolorous  faces  on  the  veranda. 

"I  did  hope  we  wouldn't  meet  a  person  down 
here  that  any  of  us  knew!"  sighed  Eleanor. 

"I'm  sorry,  girls,"  said  Edyth,  "but  I  shall 
have  to  devote  a  little  time  to  this  lady.  I  met 
her  two  years  ago  at  Saratoga,  and  she  has 
always  called  on  me  when  I  have  been  in  the 
city,  and  has  taken  me  out  quite  a  number  of 
times.  Has  the  mail  come?" 

Just  then  Mrs.  Leslie,  who  was  sitting  near, 
tapped  her  knitting  bag  significantly.  There 
was  a  rush  for  the  article  in  question,  and 
Serene,  'having  obtained  possession  of  it,  fled 
up  the  outside  stairway  to  the  upper  piazza, 

and  thence  to  the  room,  followed  by  the  others 
9  125 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

in  full  chase.  Mrs.  Knight  would  hardly  have 
recognized  her  decorous  young  ladies  in  the 
flushed  and  breathless  quartette,  who  dropped 
all  upon  one  bed,  each  grasping  a  precious 
epistle.  Edyth  slipped  her  letter  into  her 
pocket  unobserved,  and  proceeded  to  make  a 
simple  toilet  for  dinner.  It  was  delightful  to 
defer  the  pleasure  that  she  knew  was  positively 
in  store  for  her.  It  was  her  very  first  real  letter 
from  Kylmer,  and  she  could  not  read  it  until 
she  might  be  alone.  After  dinner,  when  the 
other  girls  were  taking  a  siesta,  she  slipped 
quietly  out,  and  down  the  street  to  the  lakeside, 
following  the  narrow  walk  until  she  came  to  a 
little  grove  of  pines  and  scrub  oaks  where  stood 
a  summer  house  that  she  had  observed  the 
evening  before.  The  arbor  was  vacant  at  this 
hour,  and  she  sat  down  upon  a  rustic  bench  and 
drew  the  letter  from  its  hiding-place,  toying  a 
while  with  the  envelope  before  she  ventured  to 
enjoy  its  contents.  It  was  not  a  remarkable 
letter,  and  lacked  the  ring  of  true,  noble  man- 
hood; but  to  the  trusting  girl  her  lover  was  a 
Leander,  a  Bayard,  a  King  Arthur  all  in  one, 

and  his  wordy  and  shallow  protestations  were 
126 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

an  ambrosial  feast  to  her  heart.  It  was  blessed 
to  be  alive!  The  afternoon  was  very  warm  and 
still.  There  were  few  people  stirring.  Edyth 
was  not  quite  ready  to  return  to  the  cottage,  for 
it  was  delicious  to  dream  alone.  The  group  of 
juvenile  boatmen,  napping  or  idly  comparing 
notes  on  the  season's  business,  became  suddenly 
alert  and  clamorous  as  she  approached.  A 
patron  at  this  hour  was  as  rare  as  an  unpatron- 
ized  boat  three  hours  later. 

"Kow  you  across,  ma'am?"  shouted  one  eager 
voice. 

"This  way,  miss !"  cried  several  at  once,  wildly 
gesticulating. 

"What  is  the  name  of  your  boat,"  said  Edyth, 
turning  to  a  less  boisterous  applicant  who  stood 
hat  in  hand,  and  seemed  to  consider  her  to  be 
in  possession  of  her  hearing. 

''Elaine"  replied  the  youth,  in  as  matter-of- 
fact  a  tone  as  he  would  have  said  "Mary  Smith." 

Edyth  thought  of  "the  lily  maid  of  Astolat," 
and  the  story  of  unrequited  love,  and  her  own 
happy  lot  shone  more  resplendent  in  her  eyes. 

"I  like  the  name,"  said  she.    "I'll  take  your 

boat  for  half  an  hour." 
127 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

She  followed  the  owner  of  the  little  boat.,  who 
at  that  moment  could  not  have  been  prouder 
were  he  the  captain  of  a  Cunarder.  With  a 
growing  boy's  consciousness  of  his  own  awk- 
wardness, he  handed  his  one  fair  passenger  to 
the  wide  crimson-cushioned  seat  in  the  stern, 
and  took  his  place  at  the  oars,  one  grasp  of 
which  set  him  entirely  at  his  ease. 

"How  did  you  come  to  name  your  boat 
Elaine?"  asked  Edyth. 

"Wai,  you  see,  miss,  it  was  last  season  when 
she  was  built,  an'  we  hed  a  summer  boarder, 
an'  she  was  so  sorter  nice  an'  'bligin'  thet  mar 
sed  I'd  better  let  her  name  the  boat.  So  she 
called  her  Elaine,  an'  then  she  told  us  the  story 
of  how  Elaine  thought  an'  orful  lot  of  a — a — 
a — well,  some  sort  uv  a  soldier — 

"A  knight?"  suggested  Edyth. 

"Yes'm,  thet's  jest  who  it  was.  P'r'aps  you 
heard  about  it  in  the  time  uv  it?  No?  Wai, 
at  any  rate  he  didn't  care  a  pebble  for  her,  and 
finely  she  run  down  an'  died,  an'  before  she 
died  she  made  her  folks  promise  to  put  her  on 
a  boat  after  she  was  dead,  an'  to  let  a  dumb 

man  thet  worked  on  her  father's  farm  row  her 
128 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

on  the  river  to  the  place  where  the  man  lived 
thet  she  thought  sech  a  sight  uv.  Mar  sed  thet 
she  hedn't  much  uv  a  'pinion  uv  a  young  gal 
thet  would  die  fer  a  feller  thet  didn't  want 
her;  an'  she'd  better  hev  took  kayneen  an' 
helped  her  mar  with  the  washin'.  We  didn't 
think  no  luck  would  come  uv  namin'  a  boat 
arter  sech  a  story,  but  we  didn't  wanter  hurt  our 
boarder's  feelin's,  an'  so  I  got  Jim  Brockett  to 
paint  it  Elaine,  an'  fer  all  I  see  my  luck's  been 
pretty  fair." 

Edyth  shuddered  at  this  massacre  of  one  of 
Tennyson's  loveliest  poems,  and  felt  that  the 
captain's  silence  would  be  more  agreeable  than 
any  further  exercise  of  his  conversational 
powers.  Leaning  back  comfortably,  she  closed 
her  eyes  and  listened  to  the  even  plashing  of  the 
oars,  too  happy  to  doze  and  so  lose  for  one  mo- 
ment the  realization  of  her  perfect  content. 
Was  there  ever  such  a  lover  as  Kylmer?  Was 
ever  a  maiden  so  fortunate  as  herself?  The 
sound  of  other  oars  and  other  voices  broke  upon 
the  warm,  golden  stillness  of  the  afternoon. 
A  boat  rowed  by  two  young  ladies  was  approach 

ing,  and  as  they  drew  near  the  Elaine,  Edyth 
129 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

heard  them  say  to  a  third  bright-faced  girl  in 
the  stern: 

"Sorry  that  you  missed  the  meeting  this 
morning,  Dora." 

"Yes/'  she  replied,  "I  can't  bear  to  lose  one 
of  them,  but  you  know  I  am  boarding  a  long 
way  from  the  Temple,  and  nine  o'clock  is  rather 
early  even  in  summer  time." 

"Early !  Not  at  Ocean  Grove.  It's  quite 
the  thing  to  see  the  sun  rise  out  of  the  ocean. 
Blanche  and  I  had  a  lovely  half  hour  on  the 
beach  before  breakfast  this  very  day.  We  tried 
to  think  of  all  the  Bible  verses  we  know  about 
the  sea." 

Then  as  if  by  common  consent  the  three 
voices  joined  in  Faber's  hymn: 

"  There's  a  wideness  in  God's  mercy, 
Like  the  wideness  of  the  sea." 

Edyth  listened  as  the  music  died  away.  It 
seemed  to  her  that  these  girls  had  been  speaking 
a  language  that  she  did  not  know,  and  yet  it 
touched  her  heart  strangely.  She  spoke  to  her 
little  oarsman  and  said: 

"What  did  those  young  ladies  mean  by  the 

Temple,  please?" 

130 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"The  Temple's  a  big  buildin'  right  over 
there,"  he  replied,  pointing  with  one  bare  elbow, 
"an'  the  young  folks  has  a  meetin'  there  every 
mornin'." 

"Can  anybody  go?"  queried  Edyth. 

"Yes,  marm.  Our  summer  boarder  allus 
went." 

Edyth  felt  no  little  curiosity  to  visit  a  place 
that  seemed  to  have  such  attraction  for  girls 
no  older  than  herself.  The  next  morning,  as 
the  four  friends  emerged  rosy  and  hungry  from 
an  early  dip  in  the  surf,  Edyth  proposed  that 
after  breakfast  they  should  take  a  stroll  to  the 
queer  Methodist  settlement  across  the  lake,  go- 
ing by  way  of  the  beach,  for  the  bridges  that 
now  give  so  much  convenience  were  not  at  that 
time  built.  The  girls  were  ready  for  any 
novelty,  and  started  off  in  high  spirits.  Serene 
insisted  on  stopping  at  the  first  pavilion  long 
enough  to  make  a  sketch,  and  it  was  after  nine 
o'clock  when  the  girls  reached  Ocean  Pathway. 

"0,  what  a  perfectly  beautiful  promenade!" 
exclaimed  Daisy.  "I  wonder  where  it  leads." 

"That  is  easy  enough  to  determine,"  replied 

Eleanor,  as  they  all  turned  and  entered  upon  the 
131 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

spacious  and  beautiful  avenue  from  the  ocean 
to  the  grove. 

"Look,  girls!"  said  Edyth,  after  they  had 
gone  on  in  silence  for  a  few  moments,  "at  that 
large  semicircular  building  over  there  with 
people  standing  outside.  Let's  go  and  see  what 
is  afoot." 

"0,  some  prayer  meeting  probably,"  said 
Eleanor,  with  a  toss  of  her  head. 

As  they  drew  nearer  they  heard  the  sound 
of  a  grand  chorus,  rich  and  sweet,  and  as  in- 
spiring as  martial  music.  They  involuntarily 
hastened  their  steps  and  made  their  way  to  one 
of  the  entrances.  There  was  a  break  in  the 
crowd  just  then,  and  as  it  closed  again  they 
were  drawn  just  inside  of  the  edifice.  They 
had  never  beheld  such  a  sight  before.  More 
than  a  thousand  people,  many  of  them  under 
twenty-five  years  of  age,  were  engaging  heartily 
in  a  religious  service.  The  music  gathered 
strength  and  tenderness.  Everybody  sang: 

"Come  to  the  light,  'tis  shining  for  thee, 
Sweetly  the  light  has  dawned  upon  me ; 
Once  I  was  blind,  but  now  I  can  see, 
The  Light  of  the  world  is  Jesus." 

132 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

The  leader  of  the  meeting  opened  his  Bible 
and  read  the  first  chapter  of  St.  John's  gospel. 
Then  he  spoke  a  few  clear,  concise,  pointed 
words  from  a  heart  full  of  love  for  souls.  As 
he  closed  he  said: 

"Some  of  you  are  walking  in  the  light  of 
youth,  of  beauty,  of  health,  of  talent,  of  hu- 
man love,  of  worldly  pleasure,  of  wealth  this 
morning,  but  these  lights,  sparkling  and  pleas- 
ant though  they  be,  when  compared  with  that 
Light  of  which  I  have  just  read,  are  but  as 
feeble  tapers  to  the  king  of  day.  Some  of  them 
must  flicker  and  fail  in  the  swift  rush  of  the 
years;  all  of  them  will  be  blown  out  by  one 
gust  from  the  Valley  of  the  Shadow  of  Death, 
and  you  will  be  left  in  darkness,  eternal  dark- 
ness! But  you  who  have  opened  your  hearts 
to  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  will  find  in  him  no 
darkness  at  all,  for  the  path  shineth  more  and 
more  unto  the  perfect  day.  If  you  follow  on 
to  know  the  Lord,  his  going  forth  is  as  the 
morning.  0,  dear  ones  who  have  not  accepted 
Christ,  come,  come  to-day.  Safe  with  him, 
you  need  not  fear  the  darkness  of  sorrow  or 

pain  or  temptation  that  falls  upon  everv  lot, 
133 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

but  like  the  children  of  Israel,  when  all  Egypt 
lay  under  a  pall  of  thickest  gloom,  you  shall 
have  light  in  your  dwellings,  and  even  the  night 
shall  be  light  about  you.  Now  let  us  all  sing 
that  chorus  once  more." 

With  his  own  powerful  tenor  voice  he  led 
the  singing: 

"  Come  to  the  light,  'tis  shining  for  thee." 

The  girls  did  not  look  at  each  other.  Edyth's 
face  was  deeply  serious,  Eleanor's  scornful,  Se- 
rene's tearful,  and  Daisy's  half-frightened,  half- 
perplexed. 

"Now  let  us  have  twenty-five  short  testi- 
monies!" called  the  leader. 

Quickly  one  after  the  other  from  all  parts  of 
the  house  came  brief,  bright,  loving  sentences 
of  praise,  bits  of  Christian  experience,  verses 
of  Scripture,  lines  of  hymns,  and  interspersed 
with  all  of  these  that  wonderful  choral  music. 
Edyth's  mind  went  back  to  the  Easter  verse 
that  she  had  almost  forgotten: 

"That  they  which  live  should  not  henceforth 
live  unto  themselves,  but  unto  Him  who  died 

for  them,  and  rose  again." 
134 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

It  was  of  him  that  these  young  people  were 
speaking  and  singing.  Not  as  of  a  hard,  ex- 
acting Master,  but  as  of  one  beloved  beyond 
all  joy.  But  the  evil,  selfish  spirit  within  her 
cried,  "What  have  I  to  do  with  thee,  Jesus, 
thou  Son  of  the  most  high  God!" 

Her  life  was  full  of  worldly  light,  just  such 
as  the  young  preacher  had  described,  but  very 
goodly  and  pleasant  for  all  that.  She  wanted 
no  better.  She  had  her  lover,  her  youth,  her 
health,  her  money.  They  were  enough.  A 
bitter  feeling  of  rebellion  arose  in  her  soul.  She 
disliked  these  people  and  their  talk  and  noise. 
She  would  get  away  from  them  all. 

"Are  you  not  tired?"  she  whispered  to  her 
friends,  "/  am." 

If  she  had  said  "troubled"  the  low  affirma- 
tives in  reply  would  have  been  nearer  the  truth. 
They  were  soon  retracing  their  steps  along 
Ocean  Pathway. 

"I'm  glad  to  get  out  in  the  air,"  said  Daisy, 
with  a  sigh  of  relief.  "It  was  so  warm  and — 
and  queer  in  there!" 

"What  happy  faces!"  said  Serene,  musingly. 

"I  think  it's  dreadful  for  people  to  make  so 
135 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

free  with  religion!"  exclaimed  Eleanor.  "Why, 
they  talk  of  Jesus  Christ  as  if  they  knew  him!" 

"The  singing  was  rather  fascinating,"  said 
Edyth,  lightly.  Not  artistic,  of  course,  hut 
harmonious  and  in  good  time." 

They  sauntered  along  the  plank  walk  and 
chatted  of  trivial  things.  A  Sunday  school 
"exertion"  from  some  inland  town  was  just 
pouring  from  the  railroad  station,  filling  the 
pavilions  and  crowding  the  plank  walk  with 
hundreds  of  pleasure-seekers.  Weary-looking 
mothers,  who  had  risen  before  the  dawn,  pre- 
pared hasty  breakfasts,  washed  eager  little  faces, 
and  buttoned  small  jackets  and  shoes;  shopgirls 
in  pink  or  blue  nuns'  veilings  or  elaborate  white 
lawns,  escorted  by  youths  with  canes  and  cigar- 
ettes; small  boys  with  pockets  bulging  with 
peanuts,  and  brains  in  a  ferment  with  plans  for 
forts  and  wells  and  unlimited  wading;  crying 
babies,  sleeping  babies,  smiling  babies,  solemn 
babies  in  arms  and  in  perambulators;  fathers 
of  families  leaning  sidewise  with  the  weight  of 
well-filled  baskets,  and  wiping  their  heated 
brows;  solitary  women  in  dark  spectacles  and 

green  veils  carrying  paper  boxes  of  luncheon 
136 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

and  volumes  of  "Favorite  Poems;"  little  girls 
with  big  sashes  and  new  shoes  who  looked 
disconsolately  at  the  near  but  distant  water — 
all  these  had  charged  upon  Ocean  Grove  in  one 
vast  army  and  had  taken  possession  of  the  coast 
from  Ross's  to  Lillagore's.  Our  four  young 
friends  after  a  little  quiet  study  of  human 
nature  walked  slowly  back  to  their  boarding 
place. 

"I  am  glad  that  we  decided  on  this  after- 
noon for  our  drive  to  Sea  Girt,"  said  Eleanor, 
"the  weather  is  so  fine." 

When  they  reached  the  cottage  a  note  was 
found  awaiting  Miss  Wilsey.  She  read  it 
with  a  slightly  clouded  face,  and  then  re-read 
it  aloud  to  the  girls: 

"MY  DEAR  FRIEND  :  I  am  suffering  with  one 
of  my  attacks  of  neuralgia,  and  am  very  lonely. 
My  new  maid,  who  came  yesterday,  is  about  as 
dexterous  and  intelligent  as  a  post.  Is  it  too 
much  to  ask  your  company  a  little  while  this 
afternoon? 

"Your  devoted  but  afflicted 

"MARIE  CLINTON  LEROY." 
137 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"Of  course  I  cannot  refuse,"  said  Edyth,  "but 
you  must  take  your  drive  just  the  same." 

After  much  demurring  the  girls  yielded. 
Edyth  wrote  a  brief  note  of  consent  to  Mrs. 
Leroy,  and  sent  it  over  to  the  hotel.  The  din- 
ner was  a  merry  one,  and  the  usual  siesta  was 
preceded  by  a  frolic. 

"I  will  omit  my  nap  to-day,"  said  Edyth, 
"for  I  think  I  ought  not  to  keep  that  poor  little 
woman  waiting  for  me." 

"We  must  plan  out  next  summer's  outing 
with  special  reference  to  regions  unknown  to 
the  Leroys,"  said  Serene. 

Edyth  completed  her  toilet,  and  bade  a  some- 
what reluctant  good-bye  to  the  girls.  She  stood 
a  moment  in  the  half-open  door. 

"Farewell,  sweet  Sister  of  Mercy!"  said 
Eleanor. 

"Don't  forget  us  in  your  round  of  gayety  this 
afternoon!"  called  Daisy. 

Still  Edyth  lingered.  Was  it  the  sunny- 
faced  angel  of  her  gay,  girlish  days  that  held 
her  those  few  moments  in  his  arms  ere  he  too 
should  say  "good-bye"  forever?  For  just  out- 
side of  the  threshold  waited  the  Angel  of  Pain, 
138 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

with  a  face  of  holier  but  veiled  brightness, 
waited  to  take  her  hand  and  lead  her  into  the 
shadow,  for  it  is  only  there  that  some  natures 
will  seek  and  find  their  Lord. 

Edyth  found  Mrs.  Leroy  nervous  and  expect- 
ant, her  thin  features  flushed  with  fever,  her 
hair  disordered,  the  room  strewn  with  clothing, 
and  the  new  maid,  stolid  and  open-mouthed, 
looking  on.  Edyth  persuaded  Mrs.  Leroy  to  be 
assisted  to  the  lounge,  while  she  helped  the  im- 
passive Joanna  to  make  the  bed  and  beat  up  the 
hot,  crumpled  pillows. 

Then  she  bathed  the  invalid's  face  and  hands, 
brushed  her  fair  hair  soothingly  and  braided  it 
in  a  smooth,  firm  braid,  and  helped  her  back 
to  bed.  In  a  short  time  the  room  was  in  per- 
fect order,  the  few  flies  driven  out,  the  blinds 
drawn  down  evenly,  and  the  slats  in  the  shutters 
opened  enough  to  admit  the  cool  sea  breeze. 

Edyth  rang  for  a  bowl  of  cracked  ice,  and 
placed  it  on  a  stand  that  she  had  covered  with 
a  fresh  white  towel. 

"Now  don't  you  feel  that  you  can  sleep  a 
little?"  she  asked,  noting  the  relief  that  was 

already  visible  in  the  face  of  her  patient. 
139 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"Do  you  mind  reading  to  me  a  while?  You 
will  find  something  there  on  the  table." 

Edyth  took  up  a  copy  of  Longfellow,  and 
selected  "Evangeline"  because  of  the  cradle-like  * 
movement  of  the  hexameter.  Mrs.  Leroy's  eye- 
lids soon  drooped  restfully.  Edyth  read  on 
softly.  Joanna  nodded  over  her  crocheting. 
By  and  by  there  was  some  stir  and  confusion 
and  hurrying  of  feet  at  the  hotel  entrance,  and 
Edyth  knew  that  a  train  was  in  from  New 
York,  and  that  the  'bus  had  brought  visitors. 
Her  patient  was  now  fast  asleep. 

There  were  people  on  the  stairs.  Their  steps 
came  nearer  and  nearer.  Edyth  remembered 
casually,  as  she  leaned  back  in  the  low  rocker 
and  closed  her  eyes,  that  the  large  room  next 
to  Mrs.  Leroy's  was  wide  open  when  she  came 
by,  and  in  that  painful  state  of  order  that  be- 
tokens expected  guests  at  a  summer  hotel,  and 
a  maid  was  filling  the  water  pitchers. 

"These  persons  are  surely  coming  to  occupy 
that  room,"  thought  Edyth,  "and  0,  I  do  hope 
they  will  be  quiet." 

The  newcomers  were  two  young  men.    They 

were  complaining  about  the  heat  of  the  after- 
140 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

noon.  Edyth  started  as  she  heard  a  very  fa- 
miliar voice  say: 

"This  place  lies  on  the  equator,  and  no  mis- 
take." 

"My  kingdom  for  a  dry  collar!"  remarked  the 
other. 

The  heavy  shuffling  tread  of  the  porter,  laden 
with  two  portmanteaus,  followed  the  impatient 
steps  of  the  visitors.  Edyth  heard  the  jingle 
of  silver  coins  as  the  porter  was  dismissed  with 
the  good-natured  advice  to  "buy  a  ticket  to  the 
north  pole." 

Then  the  door  closed  and  deadened  the  hum 
of  the  two  voices  and  the  occasional  laughter. 
The  two  friends  seemed  in  excellent  spirits,  and, 
having  rung  for  a  bottle  of  champagne,  they 
waxed  yet  more  social  as  an  hour  passed  by. 

Meanwhile  Mrs.  Leroy  slept  heavily,  and 
Edyth  sat  beside  her.  She  knew  that  Kylmer 
Van  Ross  had  come  to  surprise  her,  and  her 
lovely  face  grew  now  grave,  now  merry,  and 
flushed  and  paled  with  the  thoughts  that  flitted 
through  her  brain.  She  moved  the  chair  nearer 
to  the  window  for  more  air.  Just  then  an  out- 
side door  of  the  next  room  was  flung  open,  and 
10  141 


THE  KING'S  COLD 

Kylmer  Van  Eoss  with  his  friend,  Merely  Sand- 
ford,  stepped  out  upon  the  piazza,  and  took  their 
places  in  two  chairs  nearly  opposite  to  the  win- 
dow where  Edyth  was  sitting.  Each  young  man 
lighted  a  cigarette  with  rude  disregard  of  the 
possible  feelings  of  invisible  guests  near  at 
hand,  and  made  himself  quite  comfortable  with 
his  heels  elevated  to  the  rail  of  the  piazza. 

"Quite  a  breeze,  after  all!"  said  Sandford. 

Van  Ross  looked  at  the  time,  glancing  as  he 
did  so  at  a  dainty  little  miniature  in  the  back 
of  his  watch. 

"So  you've  never  seen  her?"  he  said  to  Sand- 
ford. 

"No,  yon  lucky  dog,  I  never  have.  Let  us 
take  a  look  at  that  photo,  please." 

Obeying  a  quick  instinct  of  horror  at  being 
obliged  to  hear  what  was  not  intended  for  her 
ears,  Edyth  had  arisen  from  her  chair  to  re- 
treat in  the  farther  side  of  the  room,  but  just 
then  Mrs.  Leroy  stirred  uneasily  and  moaned 
for  ice,  and  the  loud  voices  of  the  young  men 
were  painfully  in  evidence. 

Kylmer  detached  the  watch  from  its  chain, 

and  handed  it  to  his  companion. 
142 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"Not  a  very  striking  face,  but  sweet  as  a 
posy,"  said  Sandford.  "Quite  a  contrast  to  that 
soubrette  in  the  Criterion  company  that  you 
were  raving  about  all  last  winter.'" 

"Yes,  La  Lira  had  fifty  times  the  verve  of 
this  little  lady.  This  one  isn't  much  more  than 
a  schoolgirl,  you  know,  and  takes  everything  in 
dead  earnest.  Awfully  confiding  and  affection- 
ate; will  be  tiresome  after  a  while,  I'm  afraid. 
Still,  a  fellow  can  afford  to  be  bored  by  a  pretty 
girl  with  plent}r  of  rocks  behind  her,  for  of 
course  he  need  not  exert  himself  to  be  attentive 
nor  agreeable  after  the  knot  is  tied;  and  a  fellow 
whose  governor  is  down  on  him,  and  whose 
credit  is  as  low  as  mine,  must  make  some  sacri- 
fices, you  know.  Her  father  is  only  too  glad  to 
bii}'  our  name  for  his  daughter." 

Ky liner  replaced  his  watch,  saying,  as  he  did 
so: 

"Poor  little  goose!  She  actually  believes  that 
there  is  such  a  thing  as  love  in  the  world!" 

"Kylmer  A^an  Ross,"  exclaimed  his  com- 
panion, indignantly,  "if  you  don't  make  that 
girl  a  good  husband  you  ought  to  be  put  behind 

the  bars!'' 

143 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"Come,  now,  Morley.  I'm  not  a  domestic  sort 
of  chap,  and  you  can't  make  me  one.  So  sup- 
pose you  suspend  further  effort." 

In  spite  of  herself  Edyth  had  heard  every 
word  of  this  brief  conversation.  She  did  not 
faint  under  the  blow,  but  her  heart  seemed  to 
swell  and  almost  stifle  her.  She  had  a  strong 
desire  to  rush  out  and  confront  that  smiling, 
nonchalant,  traitorous  lover  of  hers,  and  tell 
him  how  she  despised  him.  But  she  sat  still 
for  another  hour.  The  two  men  left  for  a  stroll 
on  the  beach.  Mrs.  Leroy  awoke.  The  pain 
had  left  her  temples,  and  she  thanked  Edyth  for 
her  kind  nursing. 

After  a  few  instructions  to  Joanna,  Edyth 
excused  herself  and  hurried  back  to  the  cottage. 
It  was  supper  time,  but  she  could  not  eat.  She 
felt  thankful  that  Mrs.  Leslie  and  the  girls  had 
planned  to  take  tea  at  Sea  Girt,  and  would  not 
be  home  until  dusk.  Edyth  threw  herself  on 
the  bed  and  wept,  not  for  Kylmer  Van  Eoss, 
but  for  the  lost  ideal  of  truth  and  love  and 
manliness  that  he  personified  to  her  girlish  soul. 
After  a  little  she  arose,  bathed  her  eyes,  and 

taking  a  shawl  on  her  arm  left  the  house.    She 
144 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

did  not  know  where  she  was  going,  but  she  felt 
that  she  could  not  meet  her  friends  nor  chat 
with  them  just  yet.  On  and  on  she  walked, 
wrapped  in  her  thoughts,  not  noticing  any  of 
the  thronging  faces  on  the  promenade.  She  sat 
for  a  while  on  a  bench  overlooking  the  surf, 
until  the  horizon  became  dim  in  the  twilight, 
and  the  sea  was  jeweled  with  the  lights  of  pass- 
ing ships.  Then  she  arose  and  walked  on,  in- 
voluntarily turning  at  Ocean  Pathway,  and  go- 
ing toward  the  Grove.  The  Young  People's 
Temple  was  being  closed  for  the  night.  Edyth 
thought  how  she  had  stood  there  only  that 
morning  strong  in  her  young  life  and  love.  It 
seemed  years  ago.  Streams  of  people  were  now 
approaching  the  Auditorium — not  the  present 
vast  structure,  but  the  sanctuary  without  walls 
and  with  gray  tree-trunks  for  pillars,  where 
"Holiness  to  the  Lord"  was  as  yet  unblazoned  in 
electric  lights.  Then,  as  now,  it  shone  out  in  an 
occasional  face.  A  bell  ceased  tolling,  and  a 
large  choir  upon  the  platform  began  to  sing. 
Edyth  was  surprised  at  the  multitude  that  con- 
fronted the  stand.  She  did  not  wish  to  join 

the  congregation,  but  she  walked  along  the  out- 
145 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

skirts  of  the  crowd,  and  leaned  against  a  tree 
to  listen  to  the  singing.  Somebody  prayed, 
hut  the  words  fell  on  her  ear  like  the  distant 
sound  of  waves.  There  was  more  singing,  and 
then  a  man  arose  to  speak  to  the  people.  He 
took  a  text,  "He  died  for  all,  that  they  which 
live  should  not  henceforth  live  unto  themselves, 
but  unto  Him  who  died  for  them,  and  rose 
again." 

Edyth's  attention  was  fixed.  She  moved  for- 
ward and  took  a  seat  on  the  end  of  one  of  the 
settees.  Simply  and  eloquently  the  preacher 
told  the  story  of  the  life  and  death  of  Jesus 
Christ.  It  was  a  new  revelation  to  Edyth  Wil- 
sey.  It  broke  her  heart.  For  the  first  time  in 
her  life  she  saw  the  Lamb  slain  from  the  foun- 
dation of  the  world.  She  heard  about  the  sin 
that  laid  the  cross  on  the  Innocent  One.  She 
felt  that  her  sin  was  a  part  of  the  dreadful  load 
that  crushed  him.  He  became  to  her  a  Keality 
worthy  of  all  love  and  confidence.  She  saw  now 
that  true  living  meant  to  love  him,  and  others 
for  his  sake,  and  that  life  was  but  an  opportu- 
nity to  grow  like  unto  him. 

The  sermon  was  over.     Some  one  was  in- 
140 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

viting  those  who  wished  to  become  Christians 
to  go  forward  for  prayers  during  the  singing  of 
the  next  hymn.  The  congregation  arose  and 
sang  as  one  voice  the  plaintive,  heart-stirring 
words,  "Just  as  I  am,  without  one  plea."  Edyth 
stood  with  tears  streaming  down  her  cheeks. 
Her  whole  soul  cried  out,  "0  Lamb  of  God,  I 
come!"  But  she  was  "alone  and  a  stranger,  and 
knew  not  where  to  go  nor  what  to  do. 

"My  child,  can  I  help  you?"  said  a  low,  sweet 
voice  in  her  ear.  There  was  an  undertone  of 
strength  in  the  quiet  words.  Edyth  turned  and 
saw  just  such  a  face  as  would  naturally  belong 
to  that  voice,  a  face  noble  and  womanly  and 
radiant  with  unselfish  love.  She  put  her  hand 
in  that  of  the  speaker. 

"If  you  wish  to  go  to  the  altar,  I  will  go  with 
you,"  whispered  the  latter,  "but  it  will  be"  ex- 
ceedingly difficult  to  get  there  through  the 
crowd.  Perhaps  we  had  better  come  this  way." 

She  had  been  sitting  nearly  behind  Edyth. 
and  had  watched  the  girl's  face,  and  not  the 
speaker,  all  through  the  sermon. 

"I  think  I  would  like  to  go  where  it  is  quiet, 

and    where    there   are   fewer   people,"   replied 
147 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

Edyth,  following  her  new  friend,  who  immedi- 
ately led  the  way  beyond  the  bystanders  and  the 
inner  circle  of  tents  to  another  tent  close  by. 
The  lady  unfastened  the  door  of  the  tent  and 
ushered  Edyth  into  the  small  canvas  dwelling. 
It  was  divided  by  pretty  draperies,  thus  making 
the  front  part  into  a  cozy  sitting-room.  There 
was  a  neat  matting  on  -the  floor.  A  lighted 
Japanese  lantern  hung  from  a  pole  overhead. 
The  hostess  offered  Edyth  a  chair  and  sat  down 
beside  her. 

"It  seems  like  a  dream,"  said  Edyth,  drawing 
her  hand  across  her  eyes.  "I  did  not  come  out 
to-night  to  find  Christ.  I  have  been  living  a 
very  gay  life,  and  I  came  down  to  Asbury  Park 
with  some  school  friends  for  a  frolic.  To-day 
there  was  a  terrible  trouble  suddenly  came  to 
me,  and  I  wanted  to  get  away  from  everyone 
that  I  knew,  and  I  wandered  over  here  and 
stopped  to  hear  the  music.  I  became  interested 
in  the  sermon,  and  now  I  want  to  be  a  Christian, 
but  I  don't  know  how  to  'come'  to  Christ.  It's 
all  so  strange  to  me." 

Edyth's  friend  opened  a  Bible  that  lay  on 

the  stand,  and  said: 

148 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"In  the  first  place,  dear,  you  haven't  far  to 
go,  for  listen:  'The  Lord  is  nigh  unto  all  them 
that  call  upon  him.'  Then  you  need  not  doubt 
your  welcome,  for  he  says,  'Him  that  cometh 
unto  me,  I  will  in  nowise  cast  out." 

"But  I  have  been  so  selfish  and  sinful  and 
thoughtless,"  said  Edyth. 

"Listen  yet  again,  my  child,  to  his  word: 
'Though  your  sins  be  as  scarlet,  they  shall  be 
as  white  as  snow.'  And  hear  this  blessed  verse 
in  St.  John's  gospel:  'God  so  loved  the  world, 
that  he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son,  that  whoso- 
ever believeth  in  him  should  not  perish,  but 
have  everlasting  life." 

"  'Whosoever?'  "  said  Edyth.  "Please  let  me 
see  it  for  myself." 

She  sat  quietly  for  a  few  moments  gazing 
on  the  text,  God's  brightest  beacon  to  guide  the 
storm-tossed  into  the  harbor  of  peace. 

"Why,  I  do  believe,"  said  Edyth,  smiling 
through  her  tears. 

"Then  he  saves  you,  dear.  'As  many  as 
touched  him  were  made  perfectly  whole.' >: 

"0,  he  is  here,  right  here!"  said  Edyth,  in  a 

whisper  of  mingled  awe  and  joyous  gratitude. 
149 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"Let  us  talk  with  him,"  said  the  older  wom- 
an. They  knelt  together  and  mingled  their 
prayers  and  happy  tears.  As  they  arose  from 
their  knees  Edyth  suddenly  bethought  herself 
of  the  hour,  and  glancing  at  her  watch  ex- 
claimed: 

"It  is  almost  half-past  nine,  and  I  must  hurry, 
for  my  friends  will  be  anxious  about  me.  You 
have  been  very  kind  to  me,  and  I  thank  you 
more  than  I  can  tell.  May  I  have  your  name?" 

The  lady  took  a  card  from  her  Bible  and 
handed  it  to  Edyth,  who  was  looking  in  her 
pocketbook  for  one  of  her  own.  Having  found 
it,  Edyth  gave  it  to  her  new  friend,  saying: 

"I  hope  I  may  come  again." 

There  was  a  cordial  assent  from  the  stranger, 
and  it  was  scarcely  spoken  when  Edyth  had 
gone.  Helen  West,  for  it  was  she,  turned  to- 
ward the  light  and  read  the  name  engraved  on 
the  cardboard  in  her  hand.  She  knew  now 
why  her  heart  had  gone  out  so  earnestly  toward 
the  beautiful  girl.  She  understood  why  the 
delicate,  lovely  face  had  reminded  her  of  the 
dear  dead  Eloise  of  the  long  ago.  She  neither 

cried  out  nor  followed  after  her  visitor.     She 
150 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

dropped  on  her  knees  beside  the  lounge,  and 
with  grateful  amazement  praised  God.  As  for 
Kdyth,  she  \valked  swiftly  toward  the  ocean, 
pausing  long  enough  at  the  Auditorium  to  hear 
the  people  singing: 

"At  the  cross,  at  the  cross,  where  I  first  saw  the  light 
And  the  burden  of  my  heart  rolled  away, 

It  was  there  by  faith  I  received  my  sight, 
And  now  I  am  happy  all  the  day." 
151 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 


CHAPTER  VI 

As  Edyth  approached  the  cottage  in  Asbury 
Park  she  saw  that  the  piazza  was  crowded. 
Daisy  Leslie  came  down  the  steps  to  meet  her. 

"0,  you  naughty  Edyth!"  she  said.  "Mamma 
was  beginning  to  get  frantic  about  you.  Where 
have  you  been  so  long?"  Then  in  a  lower  tone, 
"There's  a  perfectly  stunning  man  who  has  been 
here  twice  to  inquire  for  you,  and  now — but 
there  he  comes  again!" 

Edyth  grew  sick  at  heart  and  faint  as  she  saw 
Kylmer  Van  Ross  advancing  toward  her.  Daisy 
slipped  from  her  arm  just  then,  and  Kylmer 
had  reached  her  side. 

"Good  evening,  Miss  Wilsey!"  said  he,  in  his 
most  polished  manner,  in  response  to  the  al- 
most imperceptible  bow  that  Edyth  gave  him. 
Edyth  conquered  the  unsteadiness  of  her  nerves, 
and  replied  courteously  but  coolly,  leading  the 
way  toward  the  parlor,  nearly  empty  of  guests. 

"Mr.  Van  Ross,"  said  she,  "I  must  ask  you 
to  excuse  me  to-night.  I  am  very  weary." 

He  looked  at  her  with  surprise.    Here  was  no 
152 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

trembling,  blushing,  loving  little  schoolgirl. 
The  calm  eyes  of  a  woman  were  looking  at  him. 

"Edyth,"  he  said,  stepping  forward,  "Edyth, 
darling,  what  has  come  over  you?  You  are  not 
glad  to  see  me — me,  your  promised  husband !" 

"Mr.  Van  Ross,"  she  replied,  "I  pray  you,  do 
not  detain  me  any  longer.  You  may  call  to- 
morrow morning  at  ten." 

He  was  excessively  annoyed,  but  departed  in 
expectation  of  a  speedy  interview.  Edyth  was 
never  so  interesting  to  him  as  at  the  pres- 
ent moment.  His  curiosity  was  piqued,  his 
pride  injured,  and  his  cause  evidently  endan- 
gered, perhaps  lost.  He  called  the  next  morn- 
ing and  sent  up  his  card.  Edyth  had  written 
a  note  and  inclosed  it  with  a  small  pack- 
age containing  her  engagement  ring  and  a  sap- 
phire bangle  that  he  had  given  her.  This  she 
sent  down  to  the  parlor  by  Eleanor  with  the 
message  that  it  was  inconvenient  for  her  to  see 
Mr.  Van  Ross,  and  she  must  be  excused.  That 
young  gentleman  preserved  a  bland  exterior, 
but  returned  hastily  to  his  room  at  the  hotel, 
and  tore  open  the  parcel  with  more  zest  than 

elegance.    This  is  what  he  read: 
153 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"Ms.  KYLMER  VAN  Ross — SIR:  There  is 
surely  no  need  of  farther  explanation  of  my 
present  conduct  when  I  tell  you  that,  while  sit- 
ting yesterday  with  a  sick  friend  at  your  hotel, 
I  accidentally  and  unwillingly  overheard  every 
word  of  your  conversation  concerning  myself. 
No  apology  is  possible. 

"With  truest  gratitude  to  the  Providence 
which  has  delivered  me  from  the  sad  fate  of 
being  your  wife,  I  remain 

"Nevermore  yours, 

"EDYTH  WILSEY." 

"Here's  a  pretty  potpourri !"  exclaimed 
Kylmer  to  Merely  Sandford,  handing  him  the 
note. 

Morley  read  it,  gave  a  long  whistle,  thrust 
his  hands  into  his  pockets,  and  said: 

"Serves  you  right,  Van!  The  girl  isn't  as 
tame  as  you  thought." 

"0,  I'll  make  it  all  right  with  her  yet,"  re- 
plied Kylmer,  falling  back  on  his  invincible 
self-conceit. 

"Mark  my  words,  you  never  will,  my  boy!" 

"But  her  father  will  not  go  back  on  me,"  re- 
ir>4 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

plied  Kylmer.  "My  ancestors  will  pull  me 
through  this  scrape." 

"Then  you  should  turn  Buddhist  at  once  and 
build  an  altar  to  the  departed." 

"0,  be  still,  Sandford!  I  will  write  to  her 
at  once,  and  say  that  a  man  takes  pride  in  con- 
cealing the  strength  of  his  attachment — too  sa- 
cred and  all  that,  for  conversation  with  anyone." 

"A  man  may  be  reticent  about  the  love  he 
bears  his  intended  wife,  and  yet  not  insult  the 
woman  of  his  choice.  I  tell  you,  Van,  you're 
in  a  bad  fix.  Don't  make  it  worse  by  writing. 
Ten  to  one  she  would  return  the  letter  un- 
opened. Your  only  hope  now  is  in  the  old 
gentleman." 

"Well,  confound  this  place  anyhow!  I'm  off 
on  the  2:15  for  the  city.  Papa  Wilsey  will  just 
about  be  back  from  Canada,  and  I  can  get  in 
version  number  one  of  this  stupid  affair." 

"I'll  go  with  you  as  far  as  the  Branch,"  said 
Morle}%  "but  I  can't  say  that  I'm  pining  for  my 
native  asphalt  with  the  thermometer  ninety- 
cight  in  the  shade." 

T-xlyth  felt  no  pang  of  regret  when  Eleanor 

returned  and  reported  that  the  caller  had  taken 
155 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

leave,  hoping  that  Miss  Wilsey  was  not  ill,  and 
that  he  might  soon  have  the  pleasure  of  meet- 
ing her.  She  could  not  mourn  for  a  man  whom 
she  despised.  More  than  this,  she  had  just 
passed  from  spiritual  darkness  into  a  marvelous 
light.  Her  soul  was  breathing  a  new,  sweet 
atmosphere.  It  was  as  if  she  had  just  been 
lifted  from  a  narrow,  sultry  valley  to  some 
glorious  wind-swept,  sun-bathed  hilltop  where 
every  breath  is  laden  with  strength  and  heal- 
ing. She  shrank  from  telling  Mrs.  Leslie  and 
the  girls  of  her  new-found  joy.  She  feared 
that  they  would  not  understand.  She  longed 
for  Miss  West,  the  lovely  dark-eyed  lady 
of  the  tent,  and  yet  she  felt  that  she  must  not 
mar  the  plans  of  her  companions  by  seeking 
other  society.  The  week  was  only  half  gone, 
but  the  remaining  days  would  seem  long  with 
her  heart  at  the  Grove,  where  she  longed  to 
go  and  learn  more  about  Christ  and  his  fol- 
lowers. She  prayed  silently  for  help  and  direc- 
tion. During  the  morning  she  proposed  a  walk 
to  the  bookstore  near  the  railway  station,  and 
her  suggestion  was  gladly  followed.  Edyth's 

purpose  in  going  was  to  buy  a  copy  of  the  New 
156 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

Testament.  She  did  not  attempt  to  conceal 
this  desire  from  the  girls,  who  were  interested 
in  looking  over  a  pile  of  summer  novels  from 
which  they  made  a  few  selections.  Leaving 
the  shop,  they  walked  along  the  lakeside  to  the 
same  little  arbor  where  Edyth  had  sat  to  read 
her  first  and  only  letter  from  Kylmer  Van 
Ross. 

"Let  us  rest  here  a  few  moments,  it  is  so 
pleasant  and  cool,"  said  Serene. 

"Edyth,  what  possessed  you  to  buy  a  Bible 
this  morning?"  said  Eleanor,  quizzically,  taking 
off  her  sailor  and  fanning  herself  with  it. 

"Why,  Mel,  what  is  the  first  book  you  would 
buy  before  making  a  tour  of  a  strange  coun- 
try?" replied  Edyth,  pleasantly. 

"0,  Baedeker,  I  suppose.  Cousin  Belle  says 
that  the  bright  red  covers  look  so  cheerful  in 
those  dim  old  convents  and  churches  in  Europe. 
But  I  don't  see  any  relation  between  my  ques- 
tion and  your  reply." 

"It  is  just  this,"  said  Edyth,  with  a  little 
prayer  for  courage,  and  a  rush  of  color  across 
her  sweet  face.  "I  started  last  night  on  a 

journey  that  I  know  but  very  little  about,  and 
11  157 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

this  book  will  tell  me  what  to  do,  and  where  to 

go." 

"Edyth  Wilsey,  are  yon  losing  your  senses?" 
cried  Eleanor,  dropping  her  improvised  fan  in 
her  surprise. 

"No,  Mel,  dear,  I'm  perfectly  sane,  and  0, 
so  happy!  I  have  been  led  to  know  that  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  deserves  the  love  of  my  whole 
heart,  and  the  service  of  my  whole  life,  a  small 
return  for  what  he  has  done  for  me  and  for  us 
all,  and  I've  started  to  follow  him,  started  for 
heaven,  and  this  book  will  teach  me  the  way." 

Edyth's  voice,  at  first  faltering,  was  clear  and 
steady  now,  and  her  eyes  shone  with  faith  and 
courage. 

"0,  this  is  just  too  stupid  for  anything," 
said  Eleanor,  picking  up  her  hat,  and  twitching 
at  the  ribbons  absently.  "If  you  were  fifty 
years  old  instead  of  twenty,  it  might  do  for  you 
to  get  these  notions  into  your  head,  but  at  your 
time  of  life,  and  with  everything  to  make  you 
happy,  I'm  surprised  at  you!" 

"I'm  glad  I'm  not  quite  twenty,  instead  of 
fifty,"  replied  Edyth.  "I  think  it  very  mean  to 
live  years  and  years  just  for  one's  self,  and 


THE  KIXG'S  GOLD 

take  and  take  from  God's  mercies,  and  then 
give  him  a  few  days  at  the  very  end  when  you're 
too  worn  out  to  enjoy  this  world  or  to  do  any 
good." 

Eleanor  scowled  moodily,  but  Serene  slipped 
her  hand  into  Edyth's,  saying: 

"I'm  sure  you  are  right,  dear.  When  I  was 
so  ill  things  looked  different  to  me  than  ever 
before.  The  world  seemed  so  mist}-,  and  death 
was  real,  and  I  was  not  ready  to  go." 

Daisy  could  sit  still  no  longer.  Her  volatile 
little  brain  was  as  uncomfortable  as  a  humming 
bird  tied  to  a  stake. 

"I  think,  girls,"  she  broke  out,  "that  you  get 
pokier  and  pokier  every  day.  I'm  tired  of  your 
solemn  faces.  I'm  not  going  to  think  of  any- 
thing but  good  times.  Come,  Mel,  let  us  leave 
these  pious  creatures  to  themselves.  You  and 
I  will  walk  together." 

Edyth  and  Serene  were  not  loath  to  have  an 
opportunity  to  talk  over  the  subject  so  distaste- 
ful to  the  others,  and  by  the  time  they  reached 
the  cottage  Serene  had  asked  to  go  with  Edyth 
to  Miss  West's  tent.  They  found  Mrs.  Leslie 

in  a  great  flurry  over  a  letter  just  received. 
159 


THE  KINO'S  GOLD 

"Daisy,"  she  said,  excitedly,  "your  sister 
Christine  writes  that  your  Aunt  Louise  has 
come  to  Thistledown,  and  has  suddenly  made 
up  her  mind  to  sail  for  Antwerp  with  your 
Uncle  Herbert  next  Tuesday,  and  Dr.  Ells- 
worth's place  was  burned  night  before  last,  so 
your  papa  has  invited  the  whole  family  over 
to  our  house  for  a  few  days,  and  little  Clara 
Bevans,  who  is  visiting  Lottie,  has  been  taken 
down  with  German  measles,  and  our  cook  has 
been  found  intoxicated  and  has  had  to  be  dis- 
charged, and  poor  Chris  is  nearly  crazy  with 
responsibility.  We  must  go  home  this  very 
afternoon." 

"0,  that  is  too  bad!"  wailed  Daisy. 

"Yes,  it  quite  breaks  up  our  party,"  said 
Eleanor. 

"I  must  wait  here  for  my  father,"  said  Edyth. 
"It  is  only  a  short  time,  for  this  is  Saturday, 
and  he  writes  me  that  he  will  be  here  by  Wed- 
nesday of  next  week." 

"Then  I  will  stay  too,"  said  Serene,  "until 
I  can  hear  from  home,  for  the  change  is  bene- 
fiting me  already." 

"Well,  I  think  I  am  quite  ready  to  go,"  said 
160 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

Eleanor.  "The  air  is  filled  with  religion  down 
here.  It  is  much  jollier  at  Kichfield  Springs, 
where  my  mother  and  sister  are." 

So  it  happened  that  evening  found  Edyth 
and  Serene  alone  together.,  and  under  the  cir- 
cumstances the  change  was  not  unwelcome. 
After  supper  they  walked  over  to  Ocean  Grove, 
and  met  Miss  West  coming  down  to  sit  in  one 
of  the  smaller  pavilions.  Helen  West  felt  her 
heart  leap  wildly  as  Edyth  approached.  She 
had  decided  for  a  time  not  to  reveal  her 
identity  to  this  girl  whom  she  loved  more  than 
any  human  being;  but  she  thought  that  Edyth 
would  recognize  the  name  of  West  as  that  of 
her  mother's  family,  and  make  inquiries  con- 
cerning it.  But  Laurance  Wilsey  had  once 
given  Edyth  a  false  answer  to  the  question 
about  her  mother's  maiden  name,  and  Edyth 
believed  her  to  have  been  a  Miss  Judson.  Helen 
soon  perceived  that  Edyth  had  no  special  inter- 
est in  regard  to  the  West  name,  and  she  also 
realized  that  it  had  been  purposely  concealed 
by  the  father.  This  fresh  proof  of  Laurance 
Wilsey's  undying  animosity  strengthened  her 

determination  to  be  silent,  lest  by  enlightening 
161 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

Edyth  she  might  set  the  father  and  child  at 
variance. 

"Is  this  your  first  summer  at  Ocean  Grove  ?" 
asked  Edyth  of  Miss  West,  when  Serene  had 
been  introduced,  and  the  three  were  seated. 

"No,  I  have  been  here  for  several  summers," 
was  the  reply.  "I  am  a  teacher  in  a  village  in 
northern  Massachusetts,  and  the  decided  change 
of  air  is  very  beneficial." 

Edyth  wondered  at  the  light  that  overflowed 
the  dark  eyes  as  they  rested  upon  her  face. 
This  woman  was  positively  fascinating.  Would 
it  be  possible  that  she  could  supply  the  long- 
felt  want  of  the  motherless  girl? 

"I  have  been  telling  my  friend,"  said  Edyth, 
with  a  smile  for  Serene,  "about  you.  She, 
too,  wishes  to  become  a  Christian." 

"I  am  glad  there  are  two  of  you,"  said  Miss 
West,  "for  you  can  encourage  each  other.  Miss 
Dudley,  it  is  no  small  thing  to  lead  a  consistent 
Christian  life,  especially  where  one's  surround- 
ings are  worldly." 

"That  is  just  the  trouble  with  Edyth  and 
me,"  replied .  Serene.  "We  have  both  been 

brought  up  to  think  only  of  ourselves;  and  our 
162 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

friends,  most  of  them,  only  care  for  social  life 
and  dress  and  amusements.  I  want  to  be  sure 
that  I  am  quite  willing  to  give  up — " 

Serene  paused  with  a  little  sigh. 

"0,  my  dear  girl,"  said  Miss  West.  "Don't 
look  at  this  matter  as  if  you  must  make  a  great 
sacrifice  to  give  yourself  to  Christ.  Just  enter 
into  your  religious  life  on  the  'privilege  side.' 
Don't  stop  and  say,  'Must  I  part  with  this  and 
that?'  but  come  to  him  as  you  are,  with  full 
hand> — bring  him  your  habits,  talents,  friends, 
time,  even  your  inclinations.  Let  him  take  all 
your  little  store,  and  cast  away  what  is  not 
good  for  you  to  keep,  and  use  the  rest  for  his 
glory.  God  once  called  a  poor  colored  washer- 
woman, Amanda  Smith,  to  give  herself  fully 
to  him  and  his  work,  and  it  was  a  struggle  for 
her -even  in  her  lowly  place  to  yield  her  will 
to  the  Master;  but  she  was  enabled  to  do  so, 
and  he  has  made  her  the  instrument  of  win- 
ning many  souls.  I  have  heard  that  woman 
tell  what  she  gave  up  for  Christ — 'one  old 
wash  tub  and  two  of  the  best  flatirons  in  Phila- 
delphia.' Our  best  is  no  better  than  that,  com- 
pared with  what  he  gives  in  return." 
'  ic.:; 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

They  talked  until  the  soft  twilight  was  dis- 
sipated by  the  light  of  the  lamps,  and  the  ocean 
was  a  dim,  vast  expanse  heard  but  unseen,  only 
as  an  occasional  wave  broke  into  snowy  foam 
within  the  radiance  that  whitened  the  sand  of 
the  shore.  Serene's  faltering  desires  gathered 
courage,  and  Edyth's  confidence  grew  strong 
and  sweet  as  the  two  girls  listened  to  Miss 
West's  words  of  counsel  and  cheer.  When  they 
bade  each  other  good  night  it  was  with  pleasant 
anticipations  of  the  morrow,  for  Miss  West  had 
invited  them  to  come  to  her  tent  and  accom- 
pany her  to  the  morning  preaching  service. 

When  the  morrow  came  Serene  had  taken  a 
cold,  and  was  not  able  to  go,  and  Edyth  went 
alone  to  Miss  West.  It  was  an  eventful  morn- 
ing to  the  happy  girl.  The  first  sermon  after 
conversion  falls  upon  the  ear  like  a  chime  of 
silver  bells.  This  sermon  was  on  "Service," 
and  the  old  truth,  "You  have  a  work  that  no 
other  can  do,"  was  presented  with  striking 
emphasis  and  beauty  of  illustration.  After  the 
benediction  had  been  pronounced,  and  the  host 
of  people  were  pouring  down  the  avenues  on 

every  side,  Edyth  prevailed  on  Miss  West  to  go 
1G4 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

with  her  to  dinner,  for  the  former  had  to  leave 
the  Grove  the  next  day,  and  Edyth  wished  to 
be  with  her  as  much  as  possible. 

"I  wonder  what  my  work  is  to  be,"  queried 
Edyth,  in  allusion  to  the  sermon. 

"Do  not  be  anxious  about  that,"  said  her 
new  friend.  "Only  be  sure  that  your  love  to 
Christ  does  not  grow  cold.  The  work  will  be 
put  into  your  willing  hands." 

"Miss  West,"  said  Edyth,  sadly,  "it  will  be  a 
great  trial  for  my  father  to  have  me  lead  the 
plain  life  of  a  Christian.  0,  I  fear  he  will  be 
very  angry  when  he  knows  that  I  wish  to  join 
the  Church." 

Helen  West  knew  more  about  Laurance 
Wilsey's  disposition  than  Edyth  dreamed,  and 
was  aware  that  the  coming  conflict  would  be 
no  trifle. 

"I  know  it  will  be  hard  for  you,  child,  but 
you  have  a  Friend  who  has  promised  to  be  with 
you  always,  One  who  is  strong  to  deliver  you 
in  every  battle." 

"'May  I  write  to  you  once  in  a  while,  Miss 
West?" 

"Strange  as  it  must  seem  to  you,  Miss  Wilsey, 
1G5 


THE  KIXG'S  GOLD 

1  am  obliged  to  refuse  your  request,  for  a  time 
at  least.  Some  day  I  hope  to  explain.  It  will 
probably  be  many  months  before  we  meet  again. 
I  am  going  to  give  you  this  afternoon  the  card 
of  a  friend  of  mine,  a  minister's  wife  in  New 
York  city.  She  will  be  glad  to  see  you,  and  will 
help  you,  I  know.  As  for  me,  I  will  pray  for 
you  morning,  noon,  and  night,  Edyth." 

The  name  came  involuntarily,  and  seemed 
like  a  caress,  and  the  great  dark  eyes  were  filled 
with  a  brooding  love.  The  young  girl  was 
thrilled  with  an  unspeakable  delight. 

"0,  I  wish  I  might  see  you  often,"  she  said, 
pressing  Miss  West's  hand,  "for  you  are  more  to 
me  than  anyone  I  have  ever  known.  I  cannot 
remember  my  mother." 

Helen  longed  to  tell  her  of  the  sweet  girl- 
mother,  but  the  time  was  not  yet,  so  she  kept 
silence,  while  Edyth  continued: 

"I  cannot  tell  you  how  I  have  longed  for 
her,  Miss  West.  I  think  mother-love  must  be 
so  true,  so  unselfish,  so  deep.  It  rests  me  some- 
times just  to  think  of  it  as  I  believe  it  is.  Now 
that  Jesus  has  come  into  my  heart  I  shall  not 

have  such  an  unsatisfied  longing,  but  still  I 
1GG 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

do  wish  it  had  been  all  right  for  my  mother  to 
have  stayed  with  me." 

"It  will  seem  very  strange  to  you,  dear  child, 
if  I  tell  you  that  I,  a  comparative  stranger,  love 
you  better  than  my  own  life." 

Edyth  looked  surprised  and  questioning. 

"I  did  not  mean  to  tell  you  so  to-day,"  Miss 
AVest  went  on,  "but  I  want  you  to  know  that, 
although  we  may  not  write  at  present,  anything 
that  I  can  ever  do  for  you  will  be  gladly  done, 
and  that  my  quiet  little  home  will  ever  be 
open  to  you." 

Edyth  could  not  understand  this  depth  of 
feeling  in  her  companion,  but  her  own  heart 
responded  warmly  to  the  words.  When  they 
reached  the  cottage  Serene  had  come  down  to 
receive  them.  The  hours  passed  swiftly  until 
four  o'clock,  when  their  visitor  took  leave 
of  them.  Just  as  she  was  going  she  slipped 
a  sealed  envelope  into  Edyth's  hand,  telling 
her  that  it  was  not  to  be  opened  until 
some  time  of  unusual  difficulty  or  distress. 
Edyth  lingered  on  the  piazza  a  few  moments 
after  her  guest  had  departed.  A  carriage  from 

Long   Branch   stopped  before  the   house.      A 
167 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

tall,  dark,  warm-looking  man  in  a  gray  duster 
sprang  out,  paid  the  driver,  and  turned  toward 
the*  cottage.  Edyth  advanced  to  meet  him. 

"0,  papa!"  she  exclaimed.  "This  is  a  sur- 
prise !" 

He  forced  a  smile,  asked  after  her  health, 
said  that  he  hoped  to  get  a  room,  and  went  into 
the  little  office.  Edyth  felt  that  he  was  angry, 
and  quickly  surmised  the  cause.  He  went  to 
his  room,  and  appeared  again  just  before  sup- 
per looking  as  calm  and  unruffled  as  was  his 
wont. 

"My  business  plans  were  somewhat  inter- 
rupted," he  explained  to  Edyth  and  Serene, 
"and  I  came  back  to  the  city  yesterday.  I  am 
sorry  that  your  party  was  so  soon  broken  up, 
but  I  should  have  had  to  spoil  the  fun  even  if 
the  Leslies  had  not  been  called  home.  You 
must  pack  your  trunk  to-night,  Edyth." 

"0,  papa!" 

"0,  Mr.  Wilsey!" 

"Yes;  Mrs.  Van  Eoss  is  going  to  take  a  trip 
to  Alexandria  Bay,  and  has  invited  Edyth  and 
myself  to  join  the  party." 

Mr.  Van  Eoss  had  met  with  another  consider- 
168 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

able  financial  loss,  and  his  wife  felt  an  increas- 
ing tolerance  for  the  Wilseys,  not  unmixed  with 
friendliness.  Edyth's  face  was  warm  with  in- 
dignation, and  her  eyes  flashed,  but  she  did  not 
wish  Serene  to  have  any  knowledge  of  her  re- 
lation to  the  Van  Koss  family,  and  merely  said: 

"Of  course,  papa,  I  will  be  ready  to  leave 
here  at  any  time  that  you  wish.  I  dislike  to 
take  Serene  away  from  a  spot  that  she  enjoys 
so  much." 

"May  I  not  telegraph  for  some  friend  to  join 
you?"  asked  Mr.  Wilsey. 

"I  think  my  mother  will  be  glad  to  come  for  a 
few  days,"  said  Serene,  half  musingly,  "so  if  you 
will  be  so  kind  as  to  send  her  a  dispatch  that  I 
am  to  be  left  alone  I  will  go  to  my  room  and 
write  a  letter  of  explanation." 

After  supper  Serene  went  to  write  her  letter, 
and  Mr.  Wilsey  asked  Edyth  to  walk  up  the 
beach  with  him. 

"So  you  have  been  making  a  fool  of  your- 
self, young  woman,"  he  said,  roughly. 

"What  do  you  mean,  papa?" 

"I  saw  Van  Eoss  at  the  Windsor  yesterday, 

and  he  told  me  all  about  it." 
1G9 


THE  KTXG'S  GOLD 

"Did  lie  tell  you  why  I  dismissed  him?" 

"Yes;  he  said  that  Morley  Sandford,  who  is  a 
terrible  case  to  run  a  fellow,  had  been  joking 
him  about  his  fondness  for  you.  Kylmer  had 
been  drinking  wine  and  was  excited  and  angry 
at  having  Sandford  use  your  name  so  familiarly, 
and  so  he  got  off  a  lingo  about  marrying  you  for 
money." 

"Please  remember,  sir,  that  I  heard  every 
word  of  the  conversation.  If  he  is  in  the  habit 
of  taking  too  much  wine,  that  of  itself  ought  to 
make  you  unwilling  that  the  engagement  be 
continued;  but  if  he  would  also  speak  slight- 
ingly of  your  daughter  I  expect  at  least  to  be 
upheld  by  you  in  ignoring  him  hereafter." 

"Whew!"  said  Mr.  Wilsey.  "What  a  strong- 
minded  creature!  What  an  orator!" 

"Papa,  I  despise  him;  I  shall  always  despise 
him!"  said  Edyth,  too  indignant  for  tears. 

They  walked  on  a  while  in  silence,  Edyth 
praying  earnestly  for  help  from  above.  When 
her  father  spoke  again  it  sent  a  chill  through 
her  heart. 

"I  have  planned  this  marriage,"  said  he,  "for 

the  wisest  of  reasons.  He  will  give  you  the  secure 
170 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

position  that  I  cannot.  I  have  no  special  ad- 
miration for  him,  nor  he  for  me.  He  wants  my 
money,  and  needs  it  too.  I  want  his  name  for 
my  daughter.  I  will  not  be  thwarted  hy  a  girl 
just  from  school,  with  silly  notions  of  love,  and 
no  more  worldly  wisdom  than  a  jellyfish." 

"But,  papa,"  pleaded  Edyth,  "would  you 
make  my  whole  life  miserable?" 

"Your  notions  of  happiness  are  all  stuff," 
said  he,  taking  a  vigorous  pull  at  his  cigar. 
"Position  and  money  are  the  first  things  to  be 
considered." 

"0,  how  can  I  meet  him?"  moaned  poor 
Edyth.  "How  can  I  travel  with  that  family  ?" 

"Van  Ross  has  made  you  a  reasonable  apology 
through  me.  I  command  you  to  accept  it.  I 
do  not  wish  to  talk  further  on  the  subject." 

Edyth  had  thought  when  they  set  out  for 
their  walk  to  tell  her  father  of  the  new  life  on 
which  she  had  entered,  but  she  saw  that  it  would 
be  unwise  to  speak  of  it  then.  Her  father 
took  it  for  granted  that  she  would  yield  to  his 
wishes  about  the  marriage,  and  his  manner  grew 
milder  as  he  talked  to  her  of  the  new  house  in 

town  that  was  now  nearly  ready  for  furnishing, 
171 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

and  should  be  fitted  up  to  please  her.  But 
Edyth  said  little,  and  finally  expressed  a  de- 
sire to  return  to  the  cottage,  where  she  bade  her 
father  a  grave  good  night. 

Long  after  Serene  was  asleep,  and  the  light 
out,  Edyth  knelt,  resting  her  elbows  on  the  sill  of 
the  open  window,  listening  to  the  restful  mono- 
tone of  the  waves,  and  praying  for  deliverance 
from  the  approaching  ordeal.  Then  she  re- 
called a  verse  that  Miss  "West  had  marked  in 
her  Bible  that  very  afternoon,  "Casting  all  your 
anxiety  on  him,  for  he  careth  for  you;"  where- 
upon she  crept  softly  to  her  pillow  and  fell 
asleep  to  the  music  of  the  words. 

Edyth  spoke  no  more  to  her  father  of  the  trip 
to  Alexandria  Bay,  but  she  did  not  go  on  the 
much-dreaded  tour.  The  second  morning  after 
her  return  to  New  York  she  was  not  able  to  lift 
her  head  from  the  pillow.  Mr.  Wilsey's  first 
impression  was  that  she  was  feigning  illness,  but 
her  hot  cheeks  and  bright  eyes  soon  gave  him 
cause  for  genuine  alarm.  A  physician  was  sum- 
moned, who  sent  for  a  trained  nurse.  For  days 
the  dreary  conflict  with  lever  went  on.  At 

times  Edyth  was  delirious,  and  pleaded  piteous- 
172 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

ly  with  her  father  for  deliverance  from  some 
imagined  horror.  After  she  was  pronounced  out 
of  danger  she  lay  weak  and  still  one  day,  listen- 
ing to  the  twenty-third  Psalm,  which  she  had 
asked  her  nurse  to  read  to  her.  The  nurse  was 
a  woman  not  many  years  older  than  her  patient. 
She  was  a  Christian  girl  of  gentle  birth  and 
good  education,  who  had  chosen  the  profession 
of  nursing  as  one  essentially  feminine,  and  who 
had  brought  to  bear  on  the  acquirement  of  it  a 
strong  will,  a  clear  brain,  steady  nerves,  and 
genuine  but  well-ordered  sympathy.  While  she 
read  the  psalm  in  clear,  low  tones  Mr.  Wilsey 
stepped  into  the  room  unobserved,  and  was 
startled  by  the  light  on  Edyth's  face  as  she 
listened. 

"  'Though  I  walk  through  the  valley  of  the 
shadow  of  death,  I  will  fear  no  evil:  for  thou 
art  with  me;  thy  rod  and  thy  staff  they  comfort 
me/  " 

"Agnes,"  said  Edyth,  faintly,  "stop  right 
there,  please,  it  is  so  beautiful." 

"Yes,  Miss  Wilsey,  you  have  proved  it  true." 

"My  Shepherd!"  said  Edyth.    "I  am  so  glad 

that  he  found  me  before  I  was  so  ill.    His  arms 
12  173 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

rest  me.  When  I  get  strong  again  I  will  follow 
him  anywhere." 

Mr.  Wilsey's  brow  wore  a  heavy  frown,  which 
deepened  as  Edyth  continued: 

"Agnes,  won't  you  pray  with  me  to-night?" 

The  nurse  sank  upon  her  knees,  and  offered 
the  prayer  of  a  little  trusting  child.  Mr.  Wil- 
sey  went  out  of  the  room  with  a  storm  of  rage 
in  his  heart.  He  waylaid  Dr.  Ballston  on  the 
staircase  and  took  him  into  his  own  sleeping 
room. 

"I  wish  to  get  rid  of  that  woman  you  brought 
here  as  soon  as  possible,"  he  said. 

"Why,  my  dear  sir!"  said  the  astonished 
physician,  "she  is  one  of  the  very  best  nurses 
in  this  town!  You  owe  your  daughter's  life 
more  to  her  skill  and  faithfulness  than  to  my 
remedies." 

"But  my  daughter  is  out  of  danger  from  the 
fever,  and  this  creature  is  talking  religion  to 
her.  It  won't  take  much  to  make  a  canting, 
long-faced  Puritan  of  the  girl,  for  it's  in  the 
blood  on  her  mother's  side,  and  I  don't  intend 
to  have  her  trouble  her  head  with  such  trash. 

I've  other  plans  for  her." 
174 


"My  dear  sir,"  said  the  doctor,  "Miss  Miller 
must  not  go  away  for  at  least  another  fort- 
night. Miss  AVilsey  must  not  be  grieved  nor 
opposed  in  any  way  until  she  regains  her 
health.  Such  a  method  will  not  spoil  her  sweet 
disposition.  If  the  subject  of  religion  is  sooth- 
ing to  her  brain,  it  is  conducive  to  her  general 
improvement/' 

The  conversation  ended,  but  Mr.  Wilsey  was 
continually  on  the  alert  during  the  remainder 
of  Miss  Miller's  stay,  and  as  soon  as  possible 
dismissed  her,  and  put  a  gay  French  lady's  maid, 
Corinne,  in  her  place.  But  he  could  not  eradi- 
cate from  Edyth's  heart  the  precious  sustaining 
truths  that  the  devoted  nurse  had  sown  there. 
Mr.  Wilsey  had  hoped  that  during  her  illness 
Edyth  would  lose  her  repugnance  for  Kylmer 
Van  Ross,  for  he  had  not  relinquished  the  de- 
termination that  the  marriage  should  take  place; 
but  one  day  when  a  basket  of  luscious  fruit 
was  sent  up  to  Edyth's  room  bearing  the  card 
of  Mrs.  Van  Ross  she  said  to  her  father: 

"Please  take  it  awa}r.  I  cannot  bear  to  look 
at  it." 

Still  his  courage  did  not  fail  nor  his  iron  will 
175 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

bend.  After  the  invalid  was  able  to  drive  out 
he  took  her  to  the  beautiful  house  they  were  to 
occupy  as  soon  as  she  was  well. 

"You  will  have  no  care,"  he  said.  "1  have 
engaged  a  competent  housekeeper.  You  will 
also  have  a  companion  and  chaperon  in  the 
person  of  a  Mrs.  Severax,  a  cultivated  lady,  the 
widow  of  an  artist.  She  will  call  upon  you  this 
afternoon." 

Edyth  said  nothing,  but  shrank  at  the  idea 
of  taking  an  entire  stranger  into  such  close  re- 
lation to  her  daily  life.  A  few  hours  later  Mrs. 
Severax  appeared  at  the  hotel  according  to  ap- 
pointment. Edyth  took  a  prompt  dislike  to 
her.  She  was  a  woman  about  fifty  years  of 
age  with  small,  glittering,  selfish  eyes,  a  profu- 
sion of  yellowish  gray  hair,  thin,  bloodless  lips, 
and  prominent  teeth.  She  was  attired  in  a  long 
lustrous  black  satin  gown  heavily  trimmed  in 
jet,  and  as  she  glided  across  the  room  rustling 
and  trailing,  and  her  black,  beadlike  eyes  rested 
upon  Edyth,  the  latter  felt  as  if  a  snake  had 
crossed  her  path,  and  her  first  impulse  was  to 
scream  and  run.  She  controlled  herself  suffi- 
ciently to  hold  out  her  hand  to  her  visitor,  and 
176 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

Mrs.  Severax  laid  her  pulseless  fingers  for  a 
second  in  the  girl's  palm.  She  had  a  fawning 
manner,  and  a  voice  that  was  suspiciously  sweet 
considering  its  thin  quality. 

"I'm  sure,  my  dear  Miss  Wilsey,"  she  re- 
marked after  a  few  commonplaces  had  been  ex- 
changed, "that  it  is  a  kind  Providence  that  has 
thrown  us  together — you  so  long  bereaved  of  a 
mother's  care,  and  I  having  mourned  for  years 
one  only  lovely  daughter." 

Mrs.  Severax  applied  a  very  pretty  handker- 
chief to  her  eyes,  but  Edyth  sat  like  a  statue, 
her  blood  running  cold.  Her  visitor  continued : 

"Pardon  my  emotion,  Miss  Wilsey,  but  you 
are  so  like  my  dear  lost  Genevieve!" 

A  gleam'  of  hope  flashed  across  Edy th's  mind. 
"If  that  is  the  case,  Mrs.  Severax/'  she  said, 
"it  will  probably  be  too  painful  for  you  to  carry 
out  my  father's  plan,  and  we  had  better  abandon 
it  altogether." 

"0,  no,  no!"  replied  the  lady,  recovering 
herself.  "It  was  but  a  momentary  weakness.  I 
have  a  naturally  cheerful  disposition,  indeed  I 
have!" 

Shortly  after  the  prospective  chaperon  had 
177 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

departed  Mr.  Wilsey  came  in  and  found  Edyth 
weeping  quietly  on  the  couch. 

"Well,"  said  he,  irritably,  "what  now?" 

"I  was  thinking,"  she  replied,  "of  what  it 
will  be  to  live  with  Mrs.  Severax." 

"You  are  an  ungrateful  child!"  said  her  fa- 
ther, leaving  the  room  in  anger. 

Edyth  felt  unusually  lonely  and  sad  that 
evening.  The  lack  of  affinity  with  her  father 
pained  her.  He  was  certainly  generous  to  a 
fault  with  his  money,  and  wanted  to  do  what 
he  thought  was  for  her  best  good.  She  wished 
that  she  might  please  him,  and  she  dreaded  the 
time  when  she  must  tell  him  plainly  that  she 
had  chosen  the  very  path  that  was  obnoxious  to 
him.  As  she  had  gained  in  physical  strength 
she  felt  an  increasing  interest  in  the  new  home. 
She  would  have  been  hardly  human  not  to  have 
appreciated  the  opportunity  to  select  at  will 
from  the  treasures  of  the  cabinetmaker  and 
upholsterer,  to  linger  over  rich  rugs,  to  decide 
upon  patterns  in  table  linen,  to  choose  silver  and 
glass  and  china,  and,  more  than  all,  to  spend 
hours  in  the  bookshops  and  at  the  art  dealers' 

All  this  took  a  great  deal  of  time  and  thought, 
178 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

and  absorbed  her  attention  so  thoroughly  that 
her  delight  in  spiritual  things  had  dimmed  a 
little.  Her  aversion  to  Mrs.  Severax,  however, 
refreshed  in  her  the  memory  of  Helen  "West, 
whose  loveliness  and  genuine  tenderness  were 
recalled  in  painful  contrast  to  the  superficiality 
of  the  former.  She  decided  to  go  the  next  day 
and  find  Mrs.  Dayton,  Helen's  friend,  whose 
card  was  yet  in  her  pocketbook. 

The  Eev.  Charles  Dayton  was  the  pastor  of 
an  unfashionable  church  on  the  East  Side.  The 
little  brick  parsonage  was  brimming  with  life 
and  love  and  echoing  with  the  voices  of  six 
boys  and  girls.  Edyth  found  Mrs.  Dayton  in 
the  center  of  a  group  in  the  extension,  which 
was  fitted  up  as  the  pastor's  study.  There  were 
a  bright-eyed  baby  and  a  piece  of  sewing  in 
her  lap,  two  boys  at  her  feet  were  struggling 
over  decimals,  a  girl  at  her  left  was  learning  to 
mend  stockings,  another  boy  was  drawing  a 
map  on  the  table,  while  from  the  piano  in  the 
next  room  came  the  sound  of  practicing. 

"0,  Miss  Wilsey,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Dayton, 
rising  as  best  she  could,  and  turning  a  bright 

face  toward  her  visitor,  "I  am  indeed  glad  to 
179 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

see  you;  but  how  awkward  of  Kathleen  to  bring 
you  in  here!" 

"Please  do  not  feel  annoyed,  Mrs.  Dayton," 
said  Edyth.  "I  should  have  missed  a  very 
pretty  glimpse  of  home  life  but  for  this." 

"You  see,"  said  Mrs.  Dayton,  "my  dear 
friend,  Helen  West,  stopped  here  on  her  way 
home  from  the  Grove,  and  told  me  all  about 
you,  so  you  are  not  a  stranger  to  me." 

Helen  had  confided  to  Mrs.  Dayton  the 
strange  story  of  her  relationship  to  Edyth,  so 
there  was  a  warmer  interest  on  the  part  of  the 
minister's  wife  than  she  would  otherwise  have 
manifested. 

"Have  you  heard  from  Miss  West  lately?" 
inquired  Edyth. 

"0,  yes,  we  exchange  letters  every  fortnight, 
and  have  done  so  for  years.  In  every  letter 
she  expresses  much  anxiety  concerning  you." 

The  baby  was  sent  up  stairs  in  the  care  of 
the  eldest  girl,  and  the  boys  were  dismissed  for 
a  game  in  the  back  yard. 

"I  want  to  see  Miss  West  more  than  I  can 
tell/'  said  Edyth.  "It  seems  as  if  I  must  see 

her." 

180 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"Are  you  in  difficulty  of  some  sort,  Miss 
Wilsey?" 

"Only  this :  my  father  has  just  bought  a  fine 
house,  and  we  have  heen  very  busy  furnishing 
it,  and  I  have  put  off  telling  him  that  I  have 
started  to  be  a  Christian.  It  grows  more  and 
more  difficult  to  speak  of  it,  and  somehow 
Christ  does  not  seem  so  real  to  me  as  he  did  last 
summer." 

"Congenial  associations  are  certainly  a  great 
help  in  the  spiritual  life,"  replied  Mrs.  Dayton, 
"and  you  should  have  a  church  home  as  soon  as 
possible.  You  will  have  to  come  out  boldly  for 
Christ." 

"I  dread  the  collision  with  my  father,"  said 
Edyth.  "He  will  want  me  to  do  many  things 
that  I  ought  not  to  do." 

"I  do  not  wonder  that  you  shrink  from  his 
opposition,  but  'the  joy  of  the  Lord  is  your 
strength,'  and  he  will  make  the  crooked  paths 
straight  and  the  rough  places  plain.  Can  you 
come  to  our  prayer  meeting  to-morrow  evening, 
Miss  Wilsey  ?" 

Edyth's  heart  leaped  at  the  thought,  even  as 

a  traveler  catches  a  glimpse  of  a  distant  spring 
181 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

in  the  desert.  Just  then  Mr.  Dayton  came  into 
the  room,  and  as  Edyth  looked  up  at  his  open, 
noble,  kindly  countenance  she  felt  that  here 
was  a  man  who  could  be  a  guide  and  friend. 
After  conversing  with  her  for  a  while  he  said, 
as  she  rose  to  go: 

"It  is  very  sad  when  a  child  has  to  displease 
a  parent  in  matters  of  religious  conviction,  but 
do  not  fear  to  let  your  light  shine.  All  heaven 
is  on  your  side,  Miss  Wilsey.  Also  remember 
that  there  are  two  hearts  in  this  city  who  will 
not  fail  to  ask  the  Father  to  sustain  and  com- 
fort you." 

Edyth  went  back  to  the  hotel  strengthened  in 
her  determination  to  walk  in  the  right  path. 
She  knew  that  she  could  not  serve  two  masters. 
She  thought  perhaps  to  force  the  issue  with  her 
father  by  announcing  her  desire  to  go  to  the 
prayer  meeting  the  next  evening,  but  before  she 
had  an  opportunity  to  do  so  she  found  that  her 
father  was  expecting  her  to  accompany  him  to 
the  new  house  to  see  the  effect  of  gaslight  upon 
the  color  scheme  of  the  drawing-room. 

They  took  possession  of  the  beautiful  resi- 
dence that  week.  Edyth's  principal  delight  had 
"182 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

been  in  fitting  up  the  library,  which  was  paneled 
Avith  antique  oak,  against  which  the  warm, 
richly  colored  draperies  showed  to  the  best  ad- 
vantage. There  were  deep,  soft  rugs,  and  in- 
viting chairs,  low  well-filled  bookshelves,  marble 
busts  of  a  few  favorite  authors,  a  curtained 
alcove  with  its  own  ledge  for  books  and  a  lux- 
urious divan,  and  a  magnificent  mantelpiece 
framing  a  great  fireplace  that  suggested  morn- 
ing studies  and  twilight  reveries.  Mr.  Wilsey 
had  jocosely  remarked  on  seeing  Edyth's  in- 
tense delight  in  the  preparation  of  this  room: 

"It  is  very  evident  who  expects  to  appropriate 
this  snuggery  this  winter.  I  must  look  out  for 
myself." 

But  from  the  first  he  had  intended  to  provide 
himself  with  a  private  office,  and  had  even 
altered  the  plan  of  the  house  to  admit  of  a 
suite  of  two  small  rooms  adjoining  the  library. 
His  daughter  had  never  seen  the  interior  of 
these,  for  he  kept  them  locked  and  always  car- 
ried the  keys.  Edyth's  own  apartments  were 
a  vision  of  fairyland,  all  pale  blue  and  white 
and  silver,  misty  with  lace,  soft  with  plush,  and 

gleaming  with  mirrors. 
183 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

The  Wilseys  were  no  sooner  installed  in  their 
new  home  than  Mr.  Wilsey  began  to  talk  of  ar- 
ranging to  present  Edyth  to  society.  Just  at 
this  time  Serene  Dudley  came  to  call  one  morn- 
ing. The  two  girls  had  not  met  since  the 
memorable  days  at  Ocean  Grove,  and  Serene  had 
not  known  of  Edyth's  illness.  They  both  felt 
some  restraint  in  speaking  of  the  subject  that 
was  nearest  to  their  hearts,  but  after  Serene 
had  been  taken  all  over  the  beautiful  house 
they  settled  down  in  Edyth's  pretty  sitting  room 
before  the  glowing  coals,  and  Edyth  said: 

"I  was  very  ill,  Serene,  delirious  part  of  the 
time,  but  whenever  I  came  to  myself  I  knew  I 
had  nothing  to  fear,  for  my  new  Friend  was 
with  me." 

The  quick  tears  came  to  Serene's  eyes  as 
she  replied: 

"Is  it  not  wonderful,  Edyth,  the  peace,  the 
freedom  from  fear,  the  rest  of  knowing  that 
nothing  but  good  can  come  to  one  ?" 

"What  did  your  mother  say,  Serene?" 

"0,  you  know  that  mamma  is  quite  a  church- 
woman,  and  was  pleased  to  have  me  express  a 

desire   to   join   the  confirmation   class   at    St. 
184 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

Andrew's  this  next  season.  She  said  that  she 
hoped  I  would  not  take  my  religion  too  seriously, 
but  that  a  proper  degree  of  interest  is  becom- 
ing. Somehow  I  felt  as  if  mamma  did  not 
really  understand,  after  all.  She  is  arranging 
my  coming  out,  and  she  said  she  will  be  very 
pleased  to  introduce  you  with  me,  knowing  that 
you  have  no  near  woman  relative.  By  the  way, 
Edyth,  who  is  that — that — lady  whom  I  met  on 
the  steps  outside?" 

"My  dear,  that  is  my  chaperon !" 

"You  poor,  dear  girl !  She  looks  too  for- 
midable for  anything.  I  shall  get  mamma  to 
take  you  out  with  us  as  much  as  possible.  Can 
you  let  me  know  by  to-morrow  about  our 
debut  f" 

"Yes,  Serene,  and  please  thank  your  mother 
for  her  kind  invitation.  Are  you  planning  for 
any  stud}'  this  winter?" 

"0,  yes !  I'm  going  to  join  a  literary  club, 
also  a  guild  for  aiding  the  poor  of  our  parish 
that  gives  a  course  of  lectures  on  social  econom- 
ics, and  I  have  already  begun  with  a  lovely 
art  teacher.  I  don't  feel  exactly  satisfied  with 

my  prospects.    I  want  to  do  some  real  work  for 
186 


THE  Kixc/s  GOLD 

Christ.  At  least,  I  do  not  intend  to  put  much 
of  my  strength  into  parties  and  receptions. 
Edyth,  have  you  told  your  father  yet  ?" 

"Xo,  I  haven't  had  the  courage,  nor  just  the 
right  opportunity.  I  shall  not  feel  settled  until 
I  have  let  him  know  how  life  looks  to  me.  It 
will  be  hard  to  hreast  the  tide  alone !  Some- 
times it  seems  to  me  that  I  cannot  struggle 
against  his  will,  but  do  pray  for  me,  Serene, 
that  I  will  not  give  up !" 

Mr.  Wilsey  heard  with  satisfaction  of  Mrs. 
Dudley's  plan  for  bringing  out  Edyth  with  her 
own  daughter,  and  in  the  preparations  for  that 
speedy  event  Edyth  again  postponed  the  declara- 
tion of  her  love  and  loyalty  to  the  Saviour. 
186 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 


CHAPTER   VII 

IT  was  the  night  for  Edyth's  coming  out. 
She  was  to  be  at  the  Dudleys'  home  at  seven 
o'clock.  At  six  her  gown  had  not  come  home. 
Edyth's  usually  sweet  temper  was  much  dis- 
turbed, and  with  the  lapse  of  every  five  minutes 
her  vexation  increased.  At  twenty  minutes  past 
six  she  sent  her  maid  to  call  Mrs.  Severax,  who 
only  added  to  her  annoyance  by  nervous  ex- 
pressions of  wonder  at  the  delay,  and  the  added 
intelligence  that  Mr.  Wilsey,  who  was  to  ac- 
company Edyth,  was  pacing  the  drawing-room 
in  a  state  of  smoldering  impatience.  Three 
times  he  sent  word  that  the  carriage  was  wait- 
ing. 

"I'll  wear  the  white  mull,  my  graduation 
gown,"  said  Edyth,  in  despair. 

"0,  Mees  Wilsey,"  cried  Corinne,  with  her 
most  tragic  air,  "it  ees  not  fresh." 

Just  then  the  peal  of  a  bell  sounded  through 
the  house,  and  shortly  after  steps  were  heard 
slowly  climbing  the  stairs.  Mrs.  Severax  and 

Edyth  both  rushed  into  the  hall  in  time  to  see 
187 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

a  slight  girlish  figure  toiling  up  the  flight  carry- 
ing a  large  pasteboard  box. 

"Here  at  last,"  sighed  Mrs.  Severax  to 
Edyth,  "but  I  hope  there  are  no  alterations." 

Corinne  had  snatched  the  box  from  the  girl 
at  the  head  of  the  stairs,  and  hastened  with  it 
to  her  mistress,  the  stranger  following  on,  being 
not  merely  a  messenger,  but  a  dressmaker's  as- 
sistant who  was  to  attend  to  some  slight  details 
after  the  gown  was  donned.  Edyth  was  too  ex- 
cited to  notice  the  pale  face  and  drooping  figure 
of  the  girl,  but  exclaimed  hotly: 

"What  does  Madam  Moray  mean  by  this 
delay  ?  I  am  nearly  late  for  my  engagement !" 

"It  was  not  the  madam's  fault,  miss,"  replied 
the  girl,  faintly,  "but  my  own.  I  left  the  shop 
more  than  an  hour  ago." 

Corinne  had  lifted  the  shimmering  mass  of 
gauze  out  of  the  box,  and  the  stranger  was 
bending  over  it  as  she  spoke,  shaking  out  a 
drapery. 

"Have  you  not  learned  to  go  directly  on  an 
errand  like  this,  and  not  to  dally  and  talk  with 
your  friends?"  interposed  Mrs.  Severax,  in  her 

most  incisive  style. 

188 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

t 

There  was  no  answer. 

"This  must  be  reported  to  Madam  Moray/' 
said  Edyth,  at  the  same  time  bending  her  head 
and  shoulders  to  receive  the  cloud  of  loveliness 
that  fell  all  about  her  in  exquisite  outlines. 

"I  beg  pardon,  miss,"  said  the  girl,  finding 
her  speech,  "but  I  was  really  very  ill  when  I 
left  the  Fifth  Avenue  stage,  and  had  to  rest  on 
some  steps  before  I  could  go  on." 

"Humph  !"  said  Mrs.  Severax,  with  a  disdain- 
ful toss  of  her  head. 

A  wave  of  vivid  crimson  swept  across  the 
girl's  face,  and  her  hands  trembled  as  she  tried 
to  fasten  a  knot  of  ribbon  in  its  place,  which 
slipped  from  her  thin  fingers  to  the  floor. 

"Awkward!"  exclaimed  Edyth. 

The  girl  quietly  picked  up  the  ribbon,  and 
steadied  herself  by  a  great  effort  as  she  tacked 
it  with  her  needle  and  thread  where  it  be- 
longed. 

"The  madam  was  very  particular  about  this," 
she  said.  "She  told  me  several  times  just  where 
to  put  it  to  get — " 

As  the  last  word  left  the  girl's  lips  she  fell 

with  a  slight  moan  insensible  on  the  carpet. 
13  189 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"How  inconvenient!"  said  Mrs.  Severax. 
"Corinne,  help  me  lift  this  person  on  to  the 
couch." 

"Poor  thing!"  said  Edyth.  "She  is  really 
ill,  then.  Do  what  you  can  for  her.  Get  a 
doctor  if  necessary.  Corinne,  my  gloves  and 
bouquet.  Now  my  wrap,"  and  the  debutante 
swept  from  the  room  and  down  the  staircase, 
at  the  foot  of  which  her  father  stood  gnawing 
his  mustache  and  looking  like  a  thundercloud. 

"Never  patronize  that  Moray  woman  again !" 
he  said,  as  the  carriage  door  slammed  upon 
them. 

"The  maid  was  ill  on  the  way,  papa,"  said 
Edyth.  "I  left  her  in  a  faint  in  my  room.  I 
feel  troubled  about  her." 

"0,  she'll  come  out  all  right !"  said  Mr.  Wil- 
sey.  "Such  people  usually  do." 

But  Edyth  found  that  the  worn,  sweet  face 
of  the  girl  haunted  her  all  the  way  to  her 
destination,  and  even  after  she  had  joined 
Serene  in  the  flower-decked  drawing-room,  and 
a  brilliant  throng  had  begun  to  pass  before  the 
two  new-rising  stars  in  the  social  skies,  and 

flattering    words    and    admiring    smiles    came 
190 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

from  every  direction,  that  poor,  pale  face  with 
its  wounded  expression  looked  reproachfully 
into  her  own.  At  last  she  was  able  to  forget  it. 

In  this  atmosphere  of  gayety  and  adulation 
the  temptation  swept  strongly  down  upon  her 
to  resolutely  abandon  her  attempt  to  lead  a 
spiritual  life.  Surely  her  way  was  hedged  up. 
A  reckless  spirit  took  possession  of  her  which 
manifested  itself  in  her  heightened  color  and 
sparkling  eyes  and  in  the  light  and  easy  grace 
with  which  she  entered  into  the  dance.  She  was 
very  beautiful,  and  as  her  father  saw  her  the 
center  of  one  and  another  little  group  of  young 
and  old,  and  noted  the  absence  of  that  serious 
restraint  of  manner  that  had  annoyed  him  so 
much,  he  looked  proud  and  happy  and  followed 
her  with  glowing  eyes  that  at  times  met  hers 
with  approval. 

That  same  evening  a  story  was  circulated  that 
Kylmer  Van  Eoss  had  bravely  stopped  a  run- 
away horse  on  the  avenue  that  day,  and  had 
doubtless  saved  the  lives  of  two  ladies  at  the 
cost  to  him  of  a  broken  arm.  Edyth  had  her 
full  share  of  the  feminine  love  of  a  hero,  and 
Mr.  Wilsey  hoped  that  this  really  manly  and 

191 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

notable  exploit  would  soften  her  heart  toward 
the  offender,  and  so  fulfill  the  plan  that  was 
in  such  jeopardy.  Accordingly,  as  they  entered 
the  carriage  to  go  home,  Mr.  Wilsey  was  in  a 
more  amiable  mood  than  he  had  enjoyed  for 
months.  Edyth  was  now  fairly  launched  upon 
the  social  sea,  with  smooth  waves  and  bright 
weather  and  no  mutiny  aboard  and  no  storm 
brewing  so  far  as  he  could  observe.  Soon  he 
would  pilot  her  to  the  desired  haven  of  his 
dreams.  As  they  drove  along  he  bent  and 
kissed  her  forehead,  a  most  surprising  demon- 
stration on  his  part. 

"I  was  proud  of  my  daughter  to-night,"  he 
said.  "Why  can  she  not  always  make  me 
happy?" 

Edyth's  brain  was  in  a  whirl.  The  evening's 
pleasure  had  almost  won  her  to  the  world.  It 
was  also  very  delightful  to  see  her  father  grati- 
fied. That  wonderful  night  at  Ocean  Grove 
seemed  like  a  dream,  and  Helen  West  a  ghost 
of  fancy,  and  the  Christ  that  had  summoned 
her  to  a  life  of  conflict  and  self-denial  had  re- 
treated into  the  historic  shadows  of  the  olden 

time.    She  had  been  foolish  to  struggle  against 
192 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

her  lot.  Perhaps  her  father  was  right.  She 
longed  to  reply,  "Father,  I  will,"  to  Mr.  Wil- 
sey's  affectionate  question,  but  somehow  the 
words  would  not  come,  and  she  said  instead, 
'•I  wish  I  might." 

The  tone  was  so  wistful  and  sincere  that 
Mr.  Wilsey  felt  still  more  encouraged. 

"You  shall  go  with  me  to  Tiffany's  to-mor- 
row/' he  said,  "and  select  a  new  ring,  anything 
that  suits  your  fancy." 

He  then  went  on  to  talk  of  the  people  who 
were  at  the  reception. 

"The  very  best  people,"  he  said,  "except  the 
Van  Bosses ;  but  of  course  Mrs.  Van  Eoss  could 
not  leave  her  son.  I  always  knew  that  fellow 
had  grand  stuff  in  him." 

Edyth  was  nervously  pulling  off  her  gloves. 

"Please,  papa,  don't !"  she  said,  under  her 
breath.  "Nothing  that  man  ever  does  can 
change  my  opinion  of  him." 

They  were  both  silent  until  the  carriage- 
stopped  at  their  door.  The  mood  of  each  had 
changed.  Mr.  Wilsey's  usual  irritation  with  his 
daughter  leaped  again  into  life,  and  Edyth  felt 

a  wave  of  disgust  sweep  over  her  soul.     Sui^.  : 
193 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

these  two  natures  could  never  harmonize.  As 
they  reached  the  house  a  sudden  remembrance 
of  the  helpless  figure  she  had  left  on  the  couch 
came  before  Edyth's  mind,  and  she  said: 
"I  wonder  if  that  poor  girl  is  better !" 
It  was  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  as  they 
entered  the  house.  They  had  thought  to  find 
it  dimly  lighted  and  very  still.  Edyth  longed 
for  her  own  little  room,  where  Corinne  would 
be  waiting  with  her  soft,  loose  gown,  and  a 
cup  of  hot  chocolate  would  soon  be  in  readiness 
to  be  sipped  quietly  before  the  open  fire. 

"Late  hours,  perhaps,  of  necessity,  young 
ladies,"  had  been  one  of  Mrs.  Knight's  axioms, 
"but  avoid  late  suppers."  So  Edyth,  who  had 
taken  no  refreshments,  had  returned  feeling 
some  need  of  nourishment.  To  the  surprise  of 
both  father  and  daughter,  they  saw  that  the 
windows  of  the  servants'  rooms  on  the  top  floor, 
Edyth's  boudoir,  and  the  reception  room  were 
all  aglow,  and  as  they  mounted  the  steps  Mrs. 
Severax  herself  opened  the  door,  her  face  pale 
with  weariness  and  terror.  There  were  serv- 
ants passing  up  and  down,  and  muffled  voices 

overhead. 

194 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"0,  Mr.  Wilsey,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Severax, 
with  uplifted  hands  and  eyes,  "that  creature 
has  actually  died  right  here  in  this  house !" 

"May  I  ask  to  whom  you  refer?"  said  Mr. 
Wilsey. 

"Why,  the  dressmaker's  girl,"  replied  the 
lady. 

"Where  is  she?"  asked  Edyth,  with  startled 
eyes. 

"On  Corinne's  bed,  where  she  died  an  hour 
ago.  She  came  out  of  that  fainting  fit  and 
talked  a  little  to  Corinne,  and  gave  her  her 
address,  and  then  had  a  terrible  pain  in  her 
heart,  and  I  sent  the  butler  for  the  doctor  on 
the  next  block.  He  came  right  away  and  gave 
her  something  that  eased  her,  but  he  said  he 
couldn't  save  her.  He  said  she  seemed  to  have 
lacked  prcrper  food.  0,  such  a  night !" 

"You  had  better  retire  at  once,  Mrs.  Severax," 
said  Edyth,  brushing  past  her  and  the  house- 
keeper, who  wished  to  give  her  version  of  the 
story.  Edyth  mounted  the  stairs  with  a  quick 
step.  "Poor,  poor  girl !"  she  murmured.  "And 
I  spoke  so  harshly  to  her.  May  God  forgive  me !" 

Corinne,  with  streaming  eyes,  met  her  at  the 
195 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

top  of  the  flight.  "0,  mees,"  she  said,  "it  ees 
the  end.  Come  with  me  and  see  the  poor  Char- 
lotte. Beezy  and  Edla  have  done  all  for  her 
like  a  seester." 

Edyth  passed  through  her  own  dressing  room 
to  Corinne's  neat  and  cozy  room.  There  on  the 
white  bed  lay  the  mortal  part  of  Charlotte 
Henson.  The  maids  had  indeed  performed  the 
last  offices  for  the  stranger  with  no  unskillful 
or  careless  touch.  The  quiet  form  was  arrayed 
in  a  delicate  nightdress  that  Edyth  had  given 
to  Corinne.  The  beautiful  waving  hair  was 
brushed  and  arranged  becomingly,  and  the 
hands  lay  naturally.  Beezy  had  laid  her  cruci- 
fix on  the  breast.  Edyth's  quick  eye  took  in  all 
these  details  at  a  glance,  but  as  she  looked  upon 
the  thin  white  face  sobs  shook  her  frame. 
There  was  an  indescribable  pathos  in  every  line 
of  those  features.  Edyth  sank  on  her  knees 
beside  the  bed,  and  laid  one  of  her  warm  hands 
upon  the  motionless  one  near  by  and  wept 
bitterly.  It  was  a  strange  scene — the  child  of 
wealth,  with  her  dainty  party  gown  falling  in 
shining  waves  around  her,  sobbing  beside  the 

body  of  the  homeless  sewing  girl. 
196 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"Do  not,  0,  do  not,  Mees  Wilsey,"  said 
Corinne.  "The  poor  Charlotte  spoke  to  me  be- 
fore she  died  and  said,  'Your  young  lady,  she 
will  cry  when  she  know,  because  she  spoke  in 
haste  to  me;  but  tell  her  it  ees  all  right  an' 
there's  nothing  to  forgive ;  an'  give  her  my  love, 
but  tell  her  too,  please,  there's  lots  of  girls  like 
me.'  Then,  mees,  she  gave  me  her  name,  and 
said  she  was  an  orphan,  and  had  no  friends, 
and  lived  in  a  room  far  over  on  the  East  Side. 
She  took  her  bankbook  from  her  bosom,  and 
told  me  that  there  ees  twenty-five  dollar.  She 
even  had  me  write  on  a  paper  to  get  the  money. 
She  say  there  is  a  man  who  she  pay  to  for  long, 
and  the  twenty-five  dollar  ees  the  last  that  be- 
long to  him,  and  would  I  get  it  and  send  it. 
He  live  here  in  New  York.  Then  she  say  again, 
'Tell  your  lady  there's  lots  like  me,'  and  she 
go  then." 

Just  then  the  towering  form  of  Mr.  Wilsey 
appeared  in  the  doorway. 

"What  is  this  nonsense?"  he  cried,  angrily, 
pushing  aside  Corinne,  and  taking  his  daughter 
by  the  arm.  "Go  to  your  sleeping  room  at  once, 

Edyth.     I  have  sent  for  the  undertaker." 
197 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"0,  papa,"  said  Edyth,  "where  will  the  girl 
be  buried?" 

"Probably  you  wish  her  laid  in  our  family 
plot,  the  one  I  bought  recently  in  Greenwood," 
said  Mr.  Wilsey,  scornfully,  almost  forcing  her 
from  the  room. 

"Promise  me,  papa,  that  you  will  see  that  she 
has  a  respectable  burial  in  a  nice  part  of  some 
cemetery,  or  I  shall  not  close  my  eyes  to-night." 

He  had  drawn  her  into  the  hall,  inflicting 
positive  pain  on  her  delicate  flesh  by  his  iron 
clasp. 

"You  are  a  perpetual  disappointment  to  me," 
he  hissed  in  her  ear;  "I  find  you  absolutely 
wanting  in  a  sense  of  propriety.  Down  upon 
your  knees  beside  a  dead  menial,  and  a  stranger 
at  that !" 

"But,"  pleaded  Edyth,  "promise  me  about  the 
grave  and  all  that." 

"If  you  will  write  to-morrow  a  courteous  note 
of  sympathy  to  Mrs.  Van  Eoss,  and  send  a  box 
of  orchids  with  it,  referring  admiringly  to  her 
son's  performance  on  the  avenue,  I  will  guaran- 
tee that  everything  shall  be  done  for  this  girl 

to  please  you.     If  you  do  not  consent  to  my 
198 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

wishes  she  will  be  sent  to  her  proper  place  in  the 
Potter's  Field." 

He  could  hardly  have  taken  a  more  stinging 
advantage,  hut  Edyth  agreed  to  grant  his  re- 
quest, though  inwardly  rebelling  at  the  injustice. 
He  opened  the  door  of  her  room,  and  saw  her 
cross  the  threshold,  saying: 

"You  will  not  see  Corinne  again  to-night. 
She  is  too  much  excited." 

Then  he  left  her  without  a  "good  night." 

The  chocolate  set  stood  on  a  small  table  in 
front  of  the  fire,  and  Edyth  made  her  own 
chocolate  with  the  little  alcohol  lamp,  donned 
a  warm  wrapper,  and  sat  down  to  think.  She 
knew  she  could  not  sleep.  The  hateful  white 
gown  lay  like  foam  on  the  carpet.  She  shud- 
dered as  she  looked  at  the  knot  of  ribbon.  The 
face  of  Charlotte  Henson  floated  before  her 
eyes,  and  her  last  message,  "There's  lots  of 
girls  like  me,"  sounded  in  her  ears.  The  dance 
music  had  ceased  to  beat  in  her  hot  pulse. 
There  was  no  pleasure  in  the  remembrance  of 
the  reception.  The  thought  of  the  admiring 
glances  and  flattering  words  that  had  appealed 

to  her  girlish  vanity  now  sickened  her  better 
199 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

nature.  While  she  had  danced  in  her  costly 
gown  this  other  girl  only  about  her  own  age  had 
died,  and  died  of  starvation,  and  she,  the 
favored  one,  had  given  words  no  better  than  a 
blow  to  the  perishing  stranger. 

Edyth,  who  had  been  on  the  point  of  giving 
up  the  hard  struggle  with  environment  to  de- 
vote herself  to  the  world,  now  found  herself 
face  to  face  with  a  terrible  fact  that  fired  anew 
the  flickering  spiritual  life  in  her  soul.  Again 
she  heard  the  words  that  seemed  to  keep  up  a 
persistent  undertone  in  her  life:  "He  died  for 
all,  that  they  which  live  should  not  henceforth 
live  unto  themselves,  but  unto  him  which  died 
for  them,  and  rose  again."  She  had  tasted  of 
the  peace  of  God,  she  had  vowed  fealty  to  her 
Saviour,  and  now  this  very  night  she  had  all 
but  deserted  him.  Until  a  beam  of  the  rising 
sun  slanted  through  the  curtains  Edyth  thought 
and  wept  and  prayed,  and  as  she  prayed 
strength  entered  into  her  to  bear,  to  do,  to 
suffer.  Falling  asleep  in  her  chair  from  ex- 
haustion, she  had  a  dream  of  a  crowd  of  worn 
and  pallid  faces  surrounding  Charlotte  Henson, 

and  the  Saviour  standing  near,  who  said,  "Will 
200 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

you  live  for  these  ?"  "Yes,  Lord !"  cried  Edyth. 
He  smiled  upon  her,  and  suddenly  the  faces 
changed  into  those  of  angels,  and  vanished  in 
light  and  song.  Edyth  awoke  filled  with  a 
strange  joy  and  rest.  The  night,  with  its 
marvelous  blending  of  gayety  and  grief,  of 
conflict  and  defeat  and  victory,  was  over,  and 
the  sun  was  shining  on  a  new  created  world. 
Her  first  need  was  sleep,  and  sleep  seemed  pos- 
sible in  that  all-pervading  peace.  She  sought 
her  bed,  and  it  was  the  middle  of  the  afternoon 
before  her  heavy  eyelids  unclosed. 

When  she  awoke  it  was  with  the  feeling  that 
something  of  great  importance  had  occurred. 
Slowly  the  events  of  the  night  came  to  mind, 
and  she  knew  that  she  was  not  the  same  girl 
who  went  lightly  to  the  reception.  Years  might 
have  intervened  since  then,  so  settled  was  her 
mind,  so  clearly  defined  was  her  lifework.  She 
rang  the  bell  for  Corinne,  who  came  softly  and 
anxiously,  looking  very  pale. 

"Is  my  father  at  home?"  asked  her  mistress. 

"He  has  been  out  all  the  day,"  said  the  maid. 

"You  may  ask  Mrs.  Severax  to  dress  for  a 

drive,  and  order  the  coupe  in  an  hour." 
201 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

At  the  appointed  time  Edyth  and  Mrs.  Sev- 
erax  were  driving  in  the  direction  of  Madam 
Moray's  establishment.  On  arriving  there 
Edyth  found  that  her  father  had  sent  word  of 
the  death  of  Charlotte  Henson. 

"She  was  a  good  girl,"  said  the  madam,  "and 
0,  what  an  eye  and  what  a  touch !  She  would 
have  been  worth  a  fortune  to  me  in  a  few  years. 
She  earned  good  pay,  but  she  never  seemed  to 
have  anything  for  herself  or  any  good  times  like 
other  girls.  She  never  associated  with  the 
others,  except  Jean.  They  were  much  together. 
I  will  call  Jean,  and  let  her  talk  with  you." 

Jean  came  with  red  eyes  into  the  room. 

"Can  you  tell  me  for  what  Charlotte  saved 
her  money  ?"  said  Miss  Wilsey. 

"I  would  not  like  to  break  my  word,  miss. 
I  was  never  to  tell.  Somebody  belonging  to 
Charlotte  took  money  that  was  not  theirs,  and 
went  to  prison  and  died  there,  and  she  was  try- 
ing to  pay  it  back  little  by  little.  She  had  to 
make  a  decent  appearance,  but  she  had  no 
warm  underclothing  and  no  fire  in  her  room  in 
winter,  and  she  lived  on  the  least  food  she  could, 

bread  and  tea  mostly." 
202 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"Poor,  poor  girl !"  sighed  Edyth.  "Well,  her 
troubles  are  all  over  now."  • 

"Yes,"  said  Jean,  "for  she  was  a  good  Chris- 
tian girl;  but  0,  miss,"  and  Jean's  eyes  over- 
flowed, "do  you  know  where  she  will  be  buried  ?" 
There  was  a  terrible  dread  in  Jean's  tone.  "If 
it  is  that — that — place,  you  know,  I  would 
work  my  fingers  to  the  bone  to  get  her  out  of  it." 

"My  father  has  arranged  for  all  that,"  said 
Edyth,  quietly,  "and  I  am  sure  that  you  will  be 
pleased  with  what  he  has  done.  I  myself  shall 
order  a  suitable  stone  for  your  friend.  I  will 
find  out  where  the  grave  is,  and  let  you  know, 
and  next  Sunday  you  and  Corinne,  my  maid, 
may  go  with  flowers.  You  shall  have  lovely 
flowers,  Jean." 

"0,  miss,  you  are  an  angel !" 

Edyth's  face  flushed  with  shame.  "No, 
Jean,"  she  said,  gently,  "only  a  young  woman, 
full  of  faults,  but  trying  to  overcome  them/' 

Edyth  then  drove  to  the  park,  and  Mrs.  Sev- 
erax,  in  noting  the  different  carriages  and  their 
occupants,  soon  forgot  her  inconvenience  of  the 
night  before.  She  chatted  so  constantly  that 

she  did  not  notice  that  her  companion  scarcely 
203 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

spoke.  The  grateful  eyes  that  Jean  had  lifted  to 
her  face  had  filled  Edyth  with  a  new  happiness, 
and  between  her  thoughts  and  those  of  Mrs, 
Severax  there  was  a  gulf  as  wide  as  the  poles. 

When  they  returned  home  Mr.  Wilsey  had 
already  arrived,  and  sent  for  Edyth  to  join  him 
in  the  library. 

"Well,"  said  he,  not  unkindly,  "I  have  carried 
out  your  wishes.  The  sewing  girl  is  buried  at 
Woodlawn.  You  may  drive  to  the  spot  any  day 
next  week.  Now  may  I  ask  if  you  have  carried 
out  your  part  of  the  agreement?" 

"No,  papa,  but  I  will  do  so  at  once,"  replied 
Edyth,  immediately  turning  to  the  writing  desk 
and  proceeding  to  select  note  paper,  and  to  ad- 
dress an  envelope.  This  little  missive  was  soon 
folded  and  handed  to  Mr.  Wilsey  to  read.  He 
could  find  no  fault  with  it  except  for  a  certain 
indefinable  chilliness  which  breathed  between 
the  lines.  However,  he  felt  that  it  was  a  step  in 
the  right  direction. 

"Now  get  your  hat  and  furs  before  dinner," 
said  he,  "and  we  will  walk  around  to  the  florist's 
and  order  the  flowers." 

Edyth  obeyed  with  no  show  of  the  inward  re- 
204 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

pugnance  of  her  soul.  She  seemed  to  be  living 
above  it  all,  upborne  by  a  high  and  holy  purpose. 
As  they  stood  in  the  florist's  office  she  hardly 
noticed  the  wonderful  pink  and  white  orchids 
that  her  father  selected,  so  absorbed  was  she  in 
the  thought  of  the  pleasure  that  Jean  and 
Corinne  would  take  in  spending  a  liberal 
amount  in  that  very  shop.  As  they  left  the 
shop  her  father  informed  her  that  he  had  re- 
ceived a  telegram  announcing  that  some  friends 
from  the  South  would  be  at  the  house  the  next 
day  to  spend  the  Sunday.  He  had  met  them 
abroad,  and  they  had  a  standing  invitation  to 
avail  themselves  of  his  hospitality.  He  had  told 
the  housekeeper  and  Mrs.  Severax,  and  Edyth 
would  have  no  responsibility  except  to  make 
herself  agreeable,  which  she  said  she  would  be 
pleased  to  do.  She  wondered  who  these  people 
were  of  whom  she  had  never  heard  her  father 
speak  before. 

They  arrived  just  before  dinner  on  Saturday 
night — Colonel  and  Mrs.  La  Grange,  Mrs. 
Merle,  a  widow  of  thirty,  her  sister,  Miss  Mont- 
fort,  and  a  young  man  by  the  name  of  Lorraine. 

Mr.  Wilsey,  Edyth,  and  Mrs.  Severax  awaited 
14  205 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

them  in  the  drawing-room.  The  men  were  dis- 
tinguished-looking, and  the  women  graceful  and 
handsome,  but  given  to  a  lavish  display  of  jewels. 
All  the  party  were  loud  and  familiar  in  their 
words  and  actions.  Edyth's  fine  sensibilities 
were  wounded  at  once,  and  she  was  surprised 
to  see  her  father  emerge  from  his  usual  digni- 
fied reserve,  throwing  it  aside  with  the  air  of  one 
who  had  escaped  an  irksome  restraint.  Were 
such  as  these  his  own  preferred  associations? 
The  dining-room  resounded  with  gay  jests  and 
peals  of  laughter,  and  there  were  many  allusions 
to  a  sojourn  at  Monaco,  which  Edyth  did  not 
understand. 

When  after  the  dessert  the  ladies  left  the  men 
Mrs.  La  Grange,  who  had  the  assumed  hilarity 
which  is  as  painful  in  a  woman  of  fifty  as  are 
her  attempts  to  imitate  the  fresh  color  and 
youthful  dress  of  eighteen,  proposed  that  they 
give  the  men  a  surprise  by  taking  possession  of 
the  smoking-room,  and  sip  their  coffee  there 
instead  of  in  the  library,  where  Edyth  had  con- 
ducted them.  Edyth,  too  courteous  to  express 
any  surprise,  led  the  way  to  an  elegant  little 

apartment  finished  in  rich  woods,  and  simply 
200 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

furnished  in  leather,  where  Mr.  Wilsey  proposed 
to  enjoy  his  cigars  and  his  evening  papers. 
Edyth  ordered  the  coffee  brought  from  the 
library,  and  the  ladies  seated  themselves  with 
the  glee  of  schoolgirls  at  a  stolen  midnight 
spread.  When  Edyth  had  dismissed  the  serv- 
ant with  the  tray  she  could  hardly  believe  her 
senses  as  she  saw  Mrs.  La  Grange  pick  up  a 
paper  of  cigarettes  that  lay  on  the  table  and 
pass  them  around  to  the  others,  who  each  took 
one  and  proceeded  to  light  it  and  smoke  it  as 
if  it  were  a  matter  of  course.  As  the  light 
wreaths  began  to  circle  around  the  heads  of  her 
guests  something  of  the  positive  loathing  in  her 
mind  must  have  expressed  itself  on  her  face. 
Xever  had  she  seen  anything  so  vulgar  and  un- 
womanly. 

"I  hope  we  do  not  shock  you,  Miss  Wilsey," 
said  Mrs.  Merle,  leaning  back  in  a  deep  morocco 
chair,  with  one  white  arm  behind  her  head  and 
her  knees  crossed,  while  she  languidly  held  the 
cigarette  aloft  in  her  jeweled  hand. 

"I  do  not  use  it  myself,"  said  Edyth,  with 
considerable  severity,  "and  I  did  not  know  that 

ladies  ever  did." 

207 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"Why,  my  dear  child,"  said  Mrs.  La  Grange, 
in  a  patronizing  tone,  "have  you  not  heard 
how  the  empress  of  Austria  delights  in  the 
strongest  of  cigars?" 

"Great  thing  for  the  nerves,  Mrs.  Severax," 
said  Miss  Montfort,  smiling  through  a  puff  of 
smoke." 

Mrs.  Severax,  let  it  be  told  to  her  credit, 
was  very  much  disgusted,  but  she  was  nothing 
if  not  politic,  and  so  she  nodded  assent.  Just 
then  the  men  were  heard  approaching,  Lor- 
raine's voice  pitched  in  a  very  high  and  excited 
tone,  as  if  he  had  been  taking  too  much  wine. 
There  was  instant  silence  in  the  smoking-room, 
and  as  Mr.  Wilsey  slid  back  the  stained-glass 
door  a  burst  of  laughter  greeted  his  astonished 
face. 

"We're  here,  and  we've  come  to  stay  !"  shouted 
Mrs.  La  Grange. 

"Out  with  the  usurpers  !"  cried  Mr.  Lorraine. 

"A  most  unexpected  pleasure,  ladies,"  said 
their  host,  bowing.  "Stay,  by  all  means." 

While  the  men  were  finding  chairs  for  them- 
selves Edyth  had  an  opportunity  to  ask  her 

father  to  have  her  excused,  so  Mr.  Wilsey  ex- 
208 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

plained  to  the  company  that  the  odor  of  tobacco 
affected  his  daughter  so  unpleasantly  that  she 
would  be  obliged  to  retire.  There  was  a  chorus 
of  superficial  regrets,  but  even  Mr.  Wilsey  was 
relieved  when  the  reproving  eyes  of  the  young 
girl  were  withdrawn  from  the  scene. 

Edyth  actually  fled  through  the  drawing- 
room,  and  up  the  stairs  to  the  pure  air  of  her 
own  apartments,  and  threw  open  the  window  for 
a  few  moments  that  the  autumn  wind  might 
refresh  her  flaming  cheeks.  Then  she  sat  down 
to  read  a  chapter  in  her  Bible.  It  was  that 
last  prayer  of  Jesus  for  his  disciples,  and  Edyth 
knew  that  she  had  a  place  in  it,  that  prayer 
that  covered  all  the  centuries  of  temptation  and 
trial  that  were  to  come  for  those  who  should  be 
in  the  world  but  not  of  it. 

An  hour  later  Mrs.  Severax  knocked  at  the 
door,  and  as  Edyth  opened  it  the  sound  of  merri- 
ment and  the  clink  of  wineglasses  came  up  the 
stairs.  For  once  Edyth  and  her  chaperon  ex- 
changed a  look  of  genuine  sympathy. 

"It  ill  becomes  me  to  criticise  your  father's 
guests,  Miss  Wilsey,"  said  Mrs.  Severax,  with 

a  sigh,  as  she  took  the  chair  that  Edyth  offered 
209 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

her,  "but,"  and  she  sighed  expressively,  "that 
Mr.  Lorraine  was  positively  imbecile  when  I 
came  up  stairs.  There  will  be  no  breakfast  to- 
morrow morning.  Mr.  Wilsey  has  ordered 
coffee  served  in  the  different  rooms  at  nine 
o'clock,  and  luncheon  will  be  ready  at  one." 

Edyth's  heart  leaped  at  this  information. 
Here  was  the  coveted  opportunity  to  attend  a 
church  service.  Mrs.  Severax  sat  for  a  while 
to  talk  over  some  difficulty  among  the  servants, 
but  as  she  left  there  was  a  strange  sound  on  the 
stairs  of  slow  and  heavy  steps  and  subdued 
voices.  Both  of  the  ladies  looked  over  the 
balustrade,  and  saw  Mr.  Wilsey  and  Colonel  La 
Grange  carrying  the  unconscious  form  of  Mr. 
Lorraine  to  his  room  on  the  third  floor.  Mrs. 
Severax  quickly  vanished  into  her  own  apart- 
ment, and  Edyth  just  as  suddenly  retreated  into 
hers. 

"0,"  she  murmured,  "it  is  a  shame — a  shame  ! 
And  in  my  father's  house  !  How  can  I  bear  it !" 

But  in  the  drawing-room  a  woman's  voice 
was  singing  a  gay  waltz  song  to  a  brilliant  piano 
accompaniment,  and  until  midnight  the  music 

and  chatter  went  on. 

210 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

The  next  morning  Edyth  was  astir  in  good 
season,  and  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  Corinne 
and  Jean  off  for  Woodlawn  well-laden  with 
flowers,  and  with  minute  written  directions  for 
their  journey.  The  two  girls  had  met  at  the 
florist's  the  night  before  and  had  had  a  memo- 
rable half  hour  selecting  roses  and  carnations. 
Edyth  felt  a  sweeter  pleasure  than  she  had  ever 
known  as  she  watched  the  girls  turn  the  corner. 
Then  she  had  a  quiet  hour  alone,  in  which  she 
asked  God's  blessing  on  the  day  and  read  a 
while  in  the  word. 

When  the  hour  for  starting  for  church  arrived 
she  put  on  a  dark  cloth  gown,  and  went  down- 
town to  the  church  where  Mr.  Dayton  min- 
istered. There  was  no  sermon  that  morning, 
for  the  holy  communion  was  to  be  celebrated. 
Edyth  was  placed  near  the  pastor's  pew,  where 
the  sweet-faced  mother  sat  in  the  midst  of  her 
little  flock  and  gave  to  the  visitor  a  kindhr 
smile  that  warmed  her  like  sunshine.  Edyth 
had  never  been  present  at  a  sacramental  occa- 
sion, and  as  the  tender  significance  of  the 
service  was  revealed  to  her  she  felt  that  she 

would  give  the  world  to  kneel  with  the  others 
211 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

at  that  altar  saying,  "Lord,  I  do  remember 
thee."  But  although  her  whole  soul  responded 
to  the  invitation,  "Draw  near  with  faith,  and 
take  this  holy  sacrament  to  your  comfort,"  she 
felt  that  she  had  no  right  to  accept  it,  not  being 
a  member  of  any  Church.  However,  as  the 
minister  passed  the  blessed  symbols,  and  said 
slowly  and  clearly,  "The  body  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  which  was  given  for  thee,  preserve 
thy  soul  and  body  unto  everlasting  life.  Take 
and  eat  this  in  remembrance  that  Christ  died 
for  thee ;  and  feed  on  him  in  thy  heart  by  faith, 
with  thanksgiving,"  Edyth  caught  a  new 
glimpse  of  the  Saviour  and  received  an  assur- 
ance of  her  union  with  him  that  was  unspeak- 
ably comforting.  At  the  close  of  the  service  she 
hastened  to  speak  with  Mrs.  Dayton. 

"I  long  to  be  one  of  you,"  she  said,  with 
tears  in  her  eyes.  "I  know  that  Jesus  saves  me, 
and  I  am  determined  to  live  for  him  at  any 
cost." 

"You  had  better  be  baptized,  dear,  as  soon 
as  you  can  have  it  done." 

"Why  not  now,  Mrs.  Dayton?"  said  Edyth, 

impelled  by  an  overmastering  desire  to  receive 
212 


THE  KIXG'S  GOLD 

the  visible  seal  of  membership  in  Christ's 
Church. 

Mrs.  Dayton,  greatly  impressed  by  the  ear- 
nestness in  the  girl's  face  and  voice,  made  her 
way  to  the  altar,  where  her  husband  still  stood 
surrounded  by  a  little  group  of  his  people,  who 
were  talking  over  some  matter  of  current  church 
interest.  She  drew  him  aside  a  moment,  and 
presented  Edyth's  request. 

"Like  the  treasurer  of  Queen  Candace,  she 
says,  'What  doth  hinder  me?";'  said  Mrs. 
Dayton. 

"Surely  I  will  not  hinder  her,"  replied  Mr. 
Dayton,  warmly. 

The  congregation  had  mostly  disappeared, 
but  to  the  few  who  lingered  he  said :  "My  breth- 
ren, we  have  with  us  a  young  lady  who  desires 
Christian  baptism  at  this  time.  She  was  never 
in  her  life  present  at  a  communion  service  until 
this  morning,  for  she  has  only  recently  decided 
for  Christ.  She  does  not  wish  to  postpone  her 
privilege  of  thus  confessing  her  faith,  and  be- 
coming a  member  of  the  Church." 

Interest,  sympathy,  and  perhaps  some  curi- 
osity were  displayed  on  the  faces  of  those  pres- 
213 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

ent,  but  no  murmur  of  disapproval  was  heard, 
and  Edyth  walked  to  the  altar  and  entered  with 
all  her  heart  into  the  solemn  rite.  As  only  a 
few  moments  had  elapsed  since  the  conclusion 
of  the  public  service,  the  sacred  elements  had 
not  been  removed  from  the  communion  table, 
and  the  ordinance  of  baptism  was  followed  by 
the  opportunity  to  Edyth  to  realize  her  oneness 
with  God's  people  everywhere,  for  now  for  the 
first  time  she  had  taken  her  place  at  that  table 
which  was  spread  by  Christ  for  all  saints. 

She  arose  marvelously  strengthened  and 
blessed,  and  with  a  feeling  of  companionship 
most  comforting.  As  she  passed  out  of  the 
church,  after  kindly  words  from  the  Daytons 
and  others,  Mrs.  Dayton  said  to  her  husband: 

"I  wish  that  Helen  West  might  have  been 
here.  Somehow  I  feel  as  if  I  wanted  to  hide 
that  dear  girl  in  the  parsonage.  It  seems  as  if 
there  is  a  hard  path  before  her." 

"God  is  taking  care  of  his  own,"  replied  the 
minister.  "Only  their  disobedience  can  thwart 
his  plans  for  his  children." 

Edyth   arrived  at  home  just  as  the  guests 

were  gathering  in  the  library  before  lunch. 
214 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"Ah,  a  morning  walk,  I  suppose,"  said  Mr. 
Wilsey,  as  she  entered. 

"A  walk  to  church,  papa,"  replied  Edyth. 

"How  charming  is  youthful  piety !"  ejacu- 
lated Mrs.  La  Grange,  rolling  her  eyes  ceiling- 
ward.  "Nothing  ever  kept  me  from  church 
when  I  was  a  girl." 

This  far  from  brilliant  speech  seemed  to 
greatly  amuse  the  company,  and  the  shout  of 
laughter  that  arose  jarred  upon  Edyth's  every 
nerve.  Mr.  Lorraine  sent  down  an  excuse  from 
the  lunch  table  under  the  plea  of  a  headache. 

"Foolish  boy !"  said  Mrs.  Merle.  "He  knows 
he  cannot  stand  champagne,  and  yet  he  persists 
in  taking  it." 

"0,  he'll  be  all  right  in  a  few  hours,"  said 
Mrs.  La  Grange.  "The  worst  of  it  is,  he  will 
miss  the  drive  in  the  park." 

The  worst  of  it !  Edyth  wanted  to  inquire 
if  a  lost  drive  were  worse  than  injured  self- 
respect,  but  apparently  these  people  had  a  dif- 
ferent standard  from  her  own.  She  looked 
across  the  table  at  her  father,  who  was  apparent- 
ly in  his  true  element;  she  felt,  but  somehow 

neither  with  a  sense  of  loneliness  nor  dismay, 
215 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

that  the  gulf  between  them  was  widening  every 
hour.  She  had  seen  his  eyes  darken  when  she 
announced  that  she  had  been  to  church,  and  she 
knew  that  she  would  have  to  meet  the  matter 
later.  She  did  her  best  to  be  courteous  to  these 
most  obnoxious  people,  and  held  her  own  so 
well  in  an  argument  with  Colonel  La  Grange 
that  Mr.  Wilsey's  anger  with  her  was  somewhat 
mitigated.  However,  he  silently  resolved  that 
she  should  never  go  to  church  again,  and  that 
he  would  enter  upon  a  very  definite  course  with 
her  at  the  first  opportunity. 

At  three  o'clock  the  victoria  was  ordered, 
supplemented  by  a  landau  from  a  neighboring 
stable,  and  the  party  took  a  turn  in  the  park, 
Mr.  Lorraine  putting  in  an  appearance  at  the 
last  moment  and  requesting  Edyth's  company 
on  a  stroll.  She  had.  felt  at  the  lunch  table  that 
the  holy  influences  of  the  morning  had  been 
dissipated,  and  she  longed  for  the  quiet  of  her 
own  room.  She  loathed  the  companionship  of 
Lorraine,  but  it  was  almost  impossible  to  avoid 
it,  and  as  he  deferred  to  her  in  regard  to  the 
direction  of  their  walk  she  proposed  the  vesper 

service  at  the  cathedral,  as  being  an  opportunity 
216 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

to  hear  some  fine  music.  In  her  heart  she 
welcomed  the  respite  from  conversation  with 
him  that  the  service  would  afford  to  her,  and 
also  the  change  from  the  gay  Sunday  parade 
on  the  avenue  to  the  solemnity  of  a  sacred  place, 
even  though  it  was  dedicated  to  the  ornate 
formalism  of  a  perverted  faith. 

On  their  return  to  the  house  they  found  the 
others  taking  five  o'clock  tea  in  the  drawing- 
room,  and  again  Edyth  had  to  repress  the  in- 
tense longing  for  a  little  time  of  meditation  and 
prayer.  There  were  now  two  hours  to  dinner, 
and  Mr.  Lorraine  began  shuffling  cards  for  a 
four-handed  game  of  whist,  while  Colonel  La 
Grange  challenged  Miss  Montfort  to  a  combat 
at  chess. 

"But  first,  please  let  us  have  a  little  music," 
said  the  colonel's  wife. 

"Certainly,"  said  Mr.  Wilsey.  "We  must 
have  that  duet  that  Mrs.  Merle  and  Miss  Mont- 
fort  gave  us  last  night." 

"Isn't  Miss  Wilsey  a  singer?"  said  the 
colonel. 

"She  has  a  pretty  fair  voice,"  said  her  father. 

"Edyth,  you  may  lead  off  with  a  ballad  or  two." 
217 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

Edyth  had  a  sweet,  well-trained  voice,  capable 
of  great  expression,  although  of  ordinary  com- 
pass. She  knew  that  she  had  no  songs  suitable 
for  the  day,  but  she  was  determined  not  to  add 
to  its  desecration.  At  school  she  had  learned 
the  hymn  "Nearer,  my  God,  to  thee !"  and  had 
sung  it  mechanically  at  those  spiritless  morning 
devotions  before  mentioned.  Now  the  words 
came  back  to  her  charged  with  life  and  mean- 
ing, the  very  cry  of  her  sorely  tried  and  troubled 
heart.  She  sat  down  at  the  piano  and  struck 
a  few  rich  chords.  The  day  that  had  brought 
her  into  connection  with  the  Church  of  Christ 
should  not  be  without  a  testimony  at  home; 
but  0,  how  much  easier  it  was  there  to  confess 
her  faith  than  here  amid  these  alien  surround- 
ings !  The  courage  with  which  she  began  to 
sing  was  the  same  in  quality  as  that  that  has 
carried  the  witnesses  of  other  days  to  the  stake. 

"  Nearer,  my  God,  to  thee  ! 

Nearer  to  thee, 
E'en  though  it  be  a  cross 

That  raiseth  me." 

Her  voice  had  never  been  so  clear  and  flex- 
ible.   She  had  perfect  control  of  it.    There  was 
218 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

a  strange  power  in  it,  too,  a  mighty  influence 
that  held  Laurance  Wilsey  spellbound  in  his 
wrathful  astonishment.  The  hymn  had  a  curi- 
ous effect  upon  the  whole  group,  somewhat  as 
if  a  company  of  evil  spirits  had  caught  the 
notes  of  the  blessed  as  they  hurried  by  the  gates 
of  paradise  and  were  detained  against  their  will 
by  the  holy  refrain.  It  was  not  until  Edyth  had 
reached  the  end  of  the  third  verse  that  her  fa- 
ther could  call  out  in  ill-suppressed  anger : 

"There,  that's  enough  of  that  stuff !  Give  us 
'Twickenham  Ferry.' " 

Colonel  La  Grange  had  walked  to  the  window, 
and  with  a  sudden  mist  in  his  eyes  recalled  his 
mother  and  the  far-distant  past.  Mrs.  La 
Grange  looked  annoyed.  Mrs.  Merle  turned 
pale  and  fixed  her  eyes  on  the  carpet.  Miss 
Montfort  made  a  grimace  at  Mr.  Lorraine,  who 
continued  to  shuffle  his  cards. 

"Papa,  I  prefer  to  sing  no  more  to-night,'' 
said  Edyth.  "Kindly  excuse  me." 

She  arose  from  the  instrument,  and  retreated 
to  a  convenient  corner.  A  chilly  constraint  had 
fallen  on  the  hilarious  group.  Mrs.  Merle  and 

Miss  Montfort  positively  refused  to  sing  their 
219 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

duet  from  "Faust."  But  Colonel  La  Grange, 
with  a  satanic  impulse  that  led  him  to  smother 
the  faint  whisper  of  his  good  angel,  stepped 
forward  to  the  piano  and  in  a  full,  ringing, 
rollicking  tenor  began  a  famous  drinking  song. 
When  he  had  finished  there  were  loud  applause 
and  calls  for  "The  Low-backed  Car,"  which  he 
rendered  with  fidelity  to  both  the  brogue  and 
the  spirit.  These  performances  of  the  colonel 
restored  something  of  the  congenial  atmosphere 
in  which  these  people  lived,  and  the  games 
went  forward  with  zest.  Edyth  was  thankful 
that  she  was  not  required  to  make  up  the  num- 
ber of  players.  She  started  after  a  little  to 
make  her  way  from  the  room,  but  her  father 
motioned  peremptorily  with  his  hand  for  her 
to  remain.  She  retired  with  a  book  to  a  nook 
behind  the  piano,  but  she  did  not  see  the  words 
on  the  page  before  her.  Her  soul  was  swelling 
with  a  sense  of  triumph.  She  had  not  denied 
her  Lord.  The  die  was  cast.  Whatever  lay  be- 
fore her  of  opposition  or  pain  or  sacrifice,  there 
should  now  be  no  looking  back.  She  took  but 
little  share  in  the  conversation  at  the  dinner 

table  that  night.    No  one  attempted  to  engage 
220 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

her  in  it,  and  there  was  no  need  for  her  to  make 
any  advances,  as  the  chatter  was  kept  up  with 
apparently  more  ease  than  usual.  Mr.  Wilsey 
had  procured  a  box  for  a  Sunday  evening  con- 
cert, and  ordered  her  to  get  ready  and  go  with 
the  rest.  She  asked  to  be  excused,  and  he  called 
her  into  the  library  and  said  in  a  hoarse  whisper, 
with  an  evil  fire  in  his  eyes : 

"You  and  I  have  much  to  settle  to-morrow, 
miss.  I  command  you  to  go  with  us  to  the 
concert,  or  take  the  consequences." 

"Father,"  she  said,  and  she  was  amazed  at  her 
perfect  calmness,  "I  will  take  the  consequences." 

They  departed  for  the  opera  house,  and 
Edyth  was  at  last  free  to  go  to  her  room.  She 
knew  that  her  father's  threat  was  no  idle  one, 
but  there  was  no  fear  in  her  heart. 

"0,  God !"  she  said,  as  she  knelt  beside  her 
bed,  "may  this  be  the  last  Sunday  that  I  will 
ever  spend  in  this  manner.  Give  me  strength 
to  be  penniless  and  homeless  if  need  be,  but  de- 
liver me,  deliver  me !" 

Edyth  had  never  yet  allowed  herself  to  open 
the  letter  that  Miss  West  had  given  her  at 

parting,  for  in  spite  of  her  perplexities  she  had 
15  221 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

not  come  to  a  place  which  seemed  critical  enough 
to  admit  of  her  breaking  the  seal.  This  night 
she  was  strongly  impelled  to  take  it  from  its 
hiding  place  and  find  what  help  she  could  from 
it.  She  hesitated,  with  her  hand  on  the  little 
drawer  in  her  desk  that  contained  the  missive, 
but  concluded  to  wait  a  little  longer,  and  took 
up  instead  a  small  copy  of  the  Epistle  to  the 
Romans  that  the  same  friend  had  given  to  her. 
Turning  the  leaves,  she  came  upon  these  words 
that  stood  out  as  if  written  in  fire :  "If  God  be 
for  us,  who  can  be  against  us  ?" 

Her  father's  guests  left  immediately  after  an 
early  breakfast  the  next  morning.  Edyth  was 
glad  when  the  street  door  closed  behind  them, 
and  yet  she  shrank  somewhat  from  the  inevitable 
interview  with  her  parent.  To  her  surprise,  he 
did  not  turn  upon  her  savagely  as  she  had  fully 
expected,  although  the  smile  with  which  he  had 
sped  the  parting  visitors  vanished  immediately 
from  his  lips,  and  a  look  of  morose  and  dogged 
determination  took  its  place.  He  led  the  way 
into  the  library  to  look  over  the  morning  mail. 
There  was  a  pile  of  heavy  white  envelopes,  the 
first  of  the  inevitable  rush  of  invitations. 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"Sit  down,"  said  Mr.  Wilsey,  "and  we  will 
look  over  these  together."  He  proceeded  to  open 
one  after  another,  commenting  briefly  on  each. 
"We  must  not  fail  to  attend  Mrs.  Dellicker's 
ball,"  said  he.  "That  comes  first,  and  virtually 
opens  the  season.  Then  there  is  a  dinner-dance 
at  the  Leveretts',  an  afternoon  tea  at  the  Win- 
slows',  and  a  theater  party  at  the  Van  Bosses'. 
By  the  way,  I've  invited  a  few  fellows  to  dinner 
for  Wednesday  night,  Challis  and  Sandford  and 
Van  Ross." 

"Papa,  you  cannot  mean  that  you  have  asked 
Kylmer  Van  Eoss  to  our  house  ?" 

"Certainly.  Why  not?"  he  replied,  looking 
unflinchingly  into  her  startled  face.  "Of  course 
you  will  play  hostess  to  perfection.  "And  this 
matter  of  the  Dellicker  ball,"  he  continued,  as 
calmly  as  if  the  girl  beside  him  were  not  quiver- 
ing with  indignation,  "must  have  your  special 
attention.  Provide  yourself  with  a  new  gown, 
something  imported,  you  know." 

"Papa,  you  must  allow  me  to  send  regrets  to 
Mrs.  Dellicker.  I  cannot  conscientiously  go." 

His  hand  fell  heavily  at  his  side.     His  eyes 

suddenly  blazed  like  evil  stars. 
223 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"Explain  yourself,"  he  said,  angrily. 

"It  is  only  this/'  said  Edyth,  pale  but  de- 
cided. "I  have  become  a  follower  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  I  must  please  him  first.  I  live 
in  a  great  city  where  there  are  thousands  of  poor 
and  neglected  human  beings  who  are  dear  to 
him.  I  must  not  spend  my  time  and  strength 
in  a  round  of  pleasure."  She  rose  and  stood  with 
one  hand  on  his  shoulder,  saying,  "I  do  not  want 
to  appear  stubborn  nor  ungrateful.  You  have 
been  very  good  and  generous  to  me.  It  grieves 
me  that  I  must  displease  you  in  any  way.  Only 
let  me  follow  my  conscience,  and  I  will  be 
the  happiest  of  mortals,  and  make  you  happy 
too !" 

He  rose,  flinging  her  from  him  so  that  she  fell 
against  the  desk,  and  then  with  a  terrible  oath 
he  left  the  room,  and  the  front  door  slammed 

behind  him. 

224 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 


CHAPTER  VIII 

EDYTH  spent  most  of  the  day  in  her  room 
nursing  a  violent  headache.  About  two  o'clock 
she  felt  that  a  walk  in  the  open  air  would  re- 
lieve her,  and  concluded  to  go  and  see  Mrs. 
Dayton.  On  descending  the  stairs  she  found 
Mrs.  Severax  sitting  in  the  hall  dressed  for  an 
outing. 

"If  yau  do  not  mind,  Miss  Wilsey,"  said  that 
personage,  "I  will  take  a  walk  with  you." 

"Pardon  me,  Mrs.  Severax,  but  I  do  mind 
very  much,"  replied  Edyth,  firmly  but  courte- 
ously. "I  am  going  where  it  is  not  convenient 
for  me  to  have  your  company." 

"But  I  had  your  father's  strict  orders  last 
evening  that  you  are  not  to  go  anywhere  alone." 

"Very  well,"  said  Edyth,  "then  I  will  return 
to  my  room  until  my  father  chooses  to  send  for 
me." 

She  did  not  have  long  to  wait.  Mr.  Wilsey 
came  home  at  four  o'clock,  and  it  was  soon  after 
that  Corinne  brought  the  expected  summons  to 

her  young  mistress.     When  Edyth  entered  the 
225 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

library  he  was  sitting  before  the  glowing  hearth, 
but  he  arose  and  held  out  both  hands  to  her, 
and  said,  with  a  pitying  smile: 

"My  poor  little  girl  I" 

Edyth's  heart-beats  quickened  with  surprise. 
Could  it  be  that  he  had  yielded?  He  led  her 
to  a  chair  and  then  resumed  his  own  place, 
watching  her  fixedly. 

"I  was  rough  with  you,  child,  this  morning," 
he  said,  in  a  low,  meditative  tone. 

Tears  of  joyous  surprise  sprung  to  Edyth's 
eyes.  He  had  never  spoken  with  such  tender- 
ness in  all  her  life. 

"I  was  rough  with  you,"  he  went  on,  "because 
I  did  not  understand  the  cause  of  your  very 
peculiar  behavior.  I  have  since  remembered 
that  there  was  brain  trouble  in  your  mother's 
family.  In  fact,  her  father  and  her  only  sister 
both  died  in  an  insane  asylum.  I  have  tried 
to  shield  you  in  every  way  from  the  insidious 
approaches  of  such  disease,  but  in  vain." 

It  would  be  impossible  to  describe  the  cold- 
blooded way  in  which  these  words  were  uttered 
under  the  guise  of  the  most  affectionate  solici- 
tude. Edyth  perceived  at  once  that  her  father 
226 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

purposed  to  bring  her  to  obedience  by  pretend- 
ing that  he  thought  that  her  mind  was  affected, 
but  the  terrible  intelligence  concerning  her 
mother's  kindred  came  upon  her  with  crushing 
effect. 

"If  these  symptoms  continue,"  resumed  her 
father,  after  a  weighty  pause,  "we  will  be 
obliged  to  summon  medical  aid,  but  I  am  posi- 
tive that  an  exercise  of  will-power  on  your  part 
will  at  this  stage  of  the  case  restore  a  normal 
condition." 

"Sir,"  said  Edyth,  sitting  erect,  "you  know 
that  there  is  nothing  whatever  the  matter  with 
my  brain." 

"There,  there,  my  dear  girl,"  replied  he, 
with  exasperating  suavity,  "I  dislike  to  see  you 
becoming  violent." 

"0,  this  is  cruel,  cruel !"  cried  Edyth.  "You 
know  that  if  you  really  thought  me  beside  my- 
self you  would  not  talk  with  me  about  it  in 
this  way." 

"If  I  thought  you  were  in  a  dangerous  con- 
dition I  might  act  rather  than  speak,"  said  her 
father,  with  ominous  significance,  half  closing 

his  eyes  as  he  leaned  his  head  back  against  the 
227 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

chair,  "but  it  is  because  I  know  that  by  regard 
to  orders  you  are  yet  able  to  control  the  difficulty 
that  I  refer  to  it." 

A  servant  here  announced  that  dinner  was 
served,  and  Edyth  was  obliged  to  take  her  place 
at  the  table  and  go  through  a  form  of  eating. 
After  dinner  callers  came,  and  it  was  late  be- 
fore she  could  get  to  her  room.  Corinne  was 
nodding  in  her  chair,  waiting  to  help  her  mis- 
tress to  bed,  but  was  surprised  to  be  told  that 
she  was  not  needed  that  night.  Edyth  locked 
the  door  and  fell  upon  the  white  rug  before  the 
fire  in  an  agony  of  perplexity  and  grief.  She 
thought  of  Helen  West,  and  determined  to  write 
to  her,  and  as  she  rose  to  go  to  her  desk  there 
was  a  knock  at  the  door.  Edyth  opened  it,  and 
saw  Mrs.  Severax  in  dressing-gown  and  slippers, 
with  a  pillow  in  hand. 

"Pardon  me,  Miss  Wilsey,"  she  said,  with 
evident  embarrassment,  "but  your  father  has 
requested  me  to  occupy  the  couch  in  your  sit- 
ting room  to-night.  He  is  anxious  about  your 
health,  and  does  not  wish  you  to  be  left  alone." 

The  chaperon  could  not  prevent  a  nervous 

flush  as  she  spoke.     The  door  was  about  half 

228 


TPIE  KING'S  GOLD 

open,  and  Edyth  looked  forbidding,  but  just 
at  that  moment  Laurance  Wilsey's  strong  arm 
pushed  back  the  door  and  impelled  Mrs.  Severax 
across  the  threshold.  Edyth  knew  it  was  better 
to  submit  quietly,  so  she  resigned  the  room  to 
Mrs.  Severax,  retiring  to  her  bedroom  with  a 
pencil  and  lap-tablet,  and  fastening  the  inter- 
vening door.  She  had  begun  to  feel  like  a 
prisoner.  She  wrote  several  pages  to  Helen 
West,  and  the  writing  -relieved  her  stifled  and 
burdened  heart.  She  told  her  of  the  dreadful 
news  concerning  her  relatives  which  would 
always  eat  into  her  consciousness  and  blight  her 
life.  Then  she  spent  a  long  while  in  prayer, 
finding  then  as  ever  that  the  waves  of  trouble 
grew  still  before  the  voice  of  the  Master. 

When  Corinne  came  in  the  next  morning 
Edyth  asked  for  a  cup  of  coffee  and  a  roll,  and 
sent  down  word  that  she  wished  to  be  excused 
from  the  breakfast  table.  She  also  told  Corinne 
to  take  the  letter  that  she  had  written  the  night 
before  and  put  it  in  the  letter  box  at  the  corner. 
It  was  none  too  soon,  for  Corinne  had  scarcely 
left  the  room  when  Mr.  Wilsey  knocked  at 

the  door,  and  was  admitted  by  Edyth. 
229 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"Good  morning,  daughter,"  said  he,  with 
sickening  solicitude,  "I  hope  you  are  better  this 
morning.  We  will  have  a  drive  after  I  have  at- 
tended to  a  little  business  in  the  library.  I 
wish  to  keep  you  out  in  the  air  as  much  as  pos- 
sible. It  is  the  best  thing  for  your  poor  head." 

He  even  attempted  to  smooth  her  hair  as  he 
spoke,  but  Edyth  recoiled  as  from  a  serpent. 
Just  then  he  espied  on  the  carpet  by  the  desk  a 
directed  envelope  which  he  picked  up  and  ex- 
amined. It  was  one  that  Edyth  had  directed 
to  Miss  Helen  West,  but  had  thrown  aside  on 
account  of  a  splash  of  ink,  and  had  failed  to 
toss  in  the  scrapbasket.  Edyth  had  seen  her  fa- 
ther in  anger  before,  but  never  had  her  eyes 
beheld  such  a  satanic  expression  on  any  human 
face.  Glaring  at  the  innocent  envelope,  he  said 
in  an  intense  voice : 

"Who  is  this  Helen  West?" 

"A  lady  whom  I  met  last  August  at  the  sea- 
shore," replied  Edyth. 

"Describe  her." 

"Tall  and  stately,  with  silvery  hair,  and  the 
most  beautiful  dark  eyes  and  musical  voice  that 

I  ever  knew." 

230 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"Where  was  she  from?" 

"A  small  village  in  Massachusetts.  You  see 
the  name  on  the  envelope — 'Sunnyslope.' ''' 

"Were  you  introduced  to  her?" 

"No,  sir,"  said  Edyth. 

"Ah,  she  pushed  herself  upon  you,  I  suppose," 
and  he  crushed  the  paper  in  his  hand  and  threw 
it  upon  the  coals. 

"Indeed,  sir,  she  did  not,"  answered  Edyth. 
"She  is  very  dignified  and  reserved  in  her  man- 
ners, but  ladies  at  a  summer  resort  do  not  al- 
ways wait  for  a  formal  introduction  to  each 
other." 

"Did  she  give  you  any  of  these  confounded 
notions  that  have  so  affected  your  head  of  late?" 

"She  helped  me  very  much  when  I  was  in 
trouble,"  said  Edyth,  so  simply  and  honestly 
that  her  father  perceived  that  Miss  West  had 
kept  her  identity  concealed,  "and  she  seemed  to 
me  as  a  mother  might,  or  an  angel." 

"Have  you  corresponded  with  her?" 

"No,  sir;  she  did  not  wish  to  write  to  me.  I 
have  never  sent  her  a  letter  until  this  one." 

"I  suppose  you  wrote  to  gain  support  in  your 

rebellion  to  my  authority." 
231 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"I  do  not  wish  to  rebel  against  you,  papa; 
but  I  must  obey  a  higher  authority  at  any  cost." 

"I  tell  you  this  is  a  mania,  and  you  must 
either  overcome  it  or  receive  the  treatment  usu- 
ally required  by  such  diseases.  As  for  this  West 
woman,  never  write  to  her  again.  While  we  are 
out  this  morning  you  must  order  your  gown 
for  the  ball." 

"I  am  not  going  to  the  ball,"  said  Edyth, 
quietly. 

"I  presume  I  must  expect  this  stubborn  re- 
sistance," said  her  father,  his  pseudo-patience 
but  thinly  veiling  his  inner  rage.  "It  is  char- 
acteristic of  the  disease.  We  will  abandon  our 
drive,  as  you  do  not  seem  to  be  as  well  to-day. 
I  will  send  for  you  later  to  meet  me  in  the 
library.  Until  then  you  will  keep  your  room." 

Painful  as  her  father's  course  was  to  Edyth, 
she  was  wonderfully  sustained  and  delivered 
from  anxiety  and  fear.  Most  precious  to  her 
was  the  knowledge  that  she  was  no  longer  a 
secret  and  hesitant  disciple  of  her  Lord.  She 
felt  that  matters  were  rapidly  approaching  a 
crisis,  and  she  prayed  that  no  pressure  that 

could  be  brought  to  bear  upon  her  should  weaken 
232 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

her  resolve  or  cool  her  devotion.  She  prayed 
much  that  day,  and  found  so  much  comfort  in 
her  Bible  that  it  seemed  to  have  been  written 
just  for  her.  At  times  she  was  harassed  by  the 
thought  of  the  possible  inheritance  of  mental 
derangement  that  might  sometime  manifest  it- 
self, but  she  was  enabled  to  put  aside  even  that 
torment,  and  trust  implicitly  in  her  heavenly 
Father. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  her  father  sent  for  her. 
Something  prompted  her  to  take  Helen  West's 
letter  from  its  hiding  place  and  put  it  in  the 
bodice  of  her  gown,  also  the  little  copy  of  Ro- 
mans. Then  she  went  down  to  the  library,  that 
beautiful  room  into  which  she  had  put  so  much 
thought  and  enjoyment,  but  which  had  begun 
to  seem  to  her  like  a  bar  of  injustice.  She  al- 
most hoped  that  her  father  would  no  longer 
cloak  his  wrath  with  that  horrible  pretense  of 
sympathy.  She  would  rather  bear  the  whole 
force  of  his  displeasure,  even  to  physical  vio- 
lence, than  to  meet  the  sarcastic  sweetness  and 
false  tenderness  that  he  had  chosen  to  display. 
To  her  surprise  he  was  not  in  the  library,  but 

the  door  into  his  private  office  stood  for  the 
233 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

first  time  wide  open,  and  be  sat  there  at  his 
desk  arranging  some  papers.  He  called  to  her 
kindly,  "Come  in,"  as  soon  as  he  saw  her.  She 
stepped  across  the  threshold,  and  took  the  chair, 
the  only  other  one  in  the  room,  to  which  he 
pointed.  He  then  wheeled  around  and  regarded 
her  steadily  for  a  few  moments. 

"I  understand,"  said  he,  "that  you  will  not 
accede  to  my  wishes." 

"I  will  regard  your  every  wish,  papa,  when 
I  can  do  so  and  be  loyal  to  Christ  and  his 
service,"  said  Edyth,  looking  at  him  calmty 
with  steadfast  eyes. 

"But  I  wish  you  to  give  up  all  this  nonsense," 
said  he.  "I  have  told  you  before  that  I  hate 
Christians.  I  am  going  to  give  you  a  good 
opportunity  to  think  this  over.  Your  mental 
trouble  happens  to  have  taken  the  form  of  re- 
ligious mania.  There  is  an  excellent  cure  for  it. 
I  have  consulted  a  specialist  to-day,  and  he 
suggests  that  you  have  the  most  absolute  quiet 
and  rest  for  several  days.  I  have  decided  to 
put  these  two  rooms  of  mine  at  your  disposal 
for  a  while.  You  are  to  have  no  books  or  papers, 

and  no  writing  materials.     Bread  and  water  is 
234 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

the  best  diet  for  diseases  of  this  particular  sort. 
Before  I  leave  you  you  may  make  out  a  list  of 
such  articles  of  clothing  as  you  would  like 
brought  from  your  room,  but  it  will  be  the  last 
service  that  your  maid  will  render  you,  as  I 
shall  dismiss  her  to-night.  You  may  take  my 
chair  here  at  the  desk  and  write  your  list." 

Edyth  realized  that  she  was  to  be  kept  in 
close  confinement  for  a  time,  but  she  was 
nothing  daunted.  She  prepared  the  memoranda 
for  Corinne,  sending  for  her  toilet  articles  and 
such  clothing  as  she  desired.  Her  father  took 
the  paper  from  her  hand,  carefully  put  away 
everything  on  the  desk  and  locked  it,  and  then, 
with  a  grave  and  sardonic  bow,  left  the  room, 
turning  the  key  in  the  lock.  A  flush  of  resent- 
ment swept  over  Edyth's  face,  but  it  was  only 
for  an  instant.  She  felt  that  she  could  bear 
anything  so  long  as  she  was  assured  of  the  favor 
of  God.  She  sat  lost  in  thought  until  she  heard 
the  sound  of  voices  at  the  door.  Corinne  had 
brought  into  the  library  the  things  that  her 
mistress  had  ordered,  but  it  was  Mr.  Wilsey 
himself  who  carried  the  large  paper  boxes  to  his 

daughter. 

235 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"I  hope  you  will  be  very  quiet  in  here,"  he 
said.  "Your  food  will  be  brought  regularly 
night  and  morning  by  my  own  hand.  You  will 
find  a  comfortable  couch  in  the  inner  room. 
There  must  be  no  artificial  light,  as  it  is  ag- 
gravating to  your  malady;  but  as  you  will  not 
need  it  for  reading  or  writing  you  will  not  be 
greatly  inconvenienced.  I  will  take  this  little 
clock  away.  The  ticking  might  be  disagreeable 
to  you.  You  sent  for  your  watch  among  the 
other  articles,  but  I  took  the  liberty  of  erasing 
it  from  the  list.  This  is  Monday;  on  Thurs- 
day night  I  will  have  another  interview  with 
you,  and  will  then  be  able  to  judge  if  your  dis- 
order has  taken  a  milder  phase.  If  I  then  find 
the  same  symptoms  of  defiance  to  my  authority 
I  will  be  obliged  to  discuss  more  strenuous 
measures." 

Again  he  bowed  himself  out  and  locked  the 
door.  Edyth  proceeded  to  examine  the  situa- 
tion, thinking  with  a  sort  of  elation  of  how  the 
early  Christians  had  been  thrown  into  dungeons, 
and  then  laughing  aloud  at  the  absurdity  of 
comparing  herself  with  them,  shut  in  as  she 

was  in  a  little  suite  of  two  rooms  and  a  bath, 
236 


THE  KIXG'S  GOLD 

stc-am-heated  at  that,  and  with  plenty  of  day- 
light. On  the  other  hand,  she  could  perceive 
how  one  could  almost  go  crazy  even  here,  for 
there  was  no  outlook  whatever.  The  one  win- 
dow in  each  room  was  of  heavy  amber  glass  and 
set  at  a  height  above  the  head  of  an  ordinary 
person.  The  walls  were  well  finished  and  tinted 
a  light  gray,  but  were  unbroken  by  a  single 
picture.  The  first  room  contained  the  locked 
desk,  without  a  scrap  of  paper  or  a  pencil  upon 
it,  and  two  chairs ;  the  second  room  had  a  couch 
and  one  chair.  A  clock  or  a  calendar  would 
have  been  a  good  deal  of  company,  but  her  fa- 
ther had  anticipated  that  fact  and  had  deprived 
her  of  either.  Then  to  have  no  light  at  all  dur- 
ing the  long  winter  evenings,  and  nothing  to 
read  in.  the  daytime !  Edyth  felt  a  shadow  of 
fear  lest  the  monotony  would  prey  upon  her, 
eating  into  her  earnest  determination  to  be 
true  to  Christ.  It  was  now  twilight  of  the  Xo- 
vember  day,  and  she  aroused  herself  and  began 
to  arrange  her  belongings. 

At  six  o'clock  the  key  turned  in  the  lock  once 
more,  and  her  father  set  a  plate  of  rolls  without 

butter  and  a  carafe  of  water  on  the  desk  and 
16  237 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

retired  without  a  word.  She  had  eaten  but  little 
all  day,  and  would  have  enjoyed  a  portion  of 
the  good  dinner  that  she  knew  was  being  served 
in  the  dining  room,  but  somehow  nothing  had 
ever  tasted  so  good  as  that  prison  fare.  She 
had  bread  to  eat  that  her  father  knew  not  of, 
bread  from  the  King's  own  board,  and  her 
humble  meal  was  blessed  by  the  same  hand  that 
fed  the  five  thousand  in  the  wilderness. 

Suddenly  she  remembered  that  she  had 
brought  Miss  West's  letter  and  the  copy  of  Ro- 
mans with  her.  She  felt  very  grateful  now  for 
the  impulse  that  had  caused  her  to  provide  such 
relief  and  pleasure  for  herself.  To  be  sure,  she 
was  now  in  total  darkness,  but  she  knew  that 
she  would  be  awake  very  early  in  the  morning, 
and  that  the  next  day  would  be  brightened  and 
shortened  by  something  to  read.  Nothing  dis- 
turbed her  peace  of  mind  except  the  thoughts 
of  the  dreadful  fate  that  had  befallen  her 
mother's  father  and  sister.  She  found  herself 
again  wondering  and  imagining  many  things 
about  them;  and  then  came  the  ever-recurring 
dread  of  heredity  that  seemed  to  thrust  a  dark 

cloud  across  the  sky  of  her  future.    But  again 
238 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

she  found  that  the  demon  of  anxiety  fled  be- 
fore the  wand  of  prayer,  and  she  fell  into  a 
sound,  sweet  sleep,  from  which  she  did  not 
awaken  until  daylight.  Feeling  entirely  secure 
from  disturbance,  as  the  door  of  this  inner  room 
locked  on  the  inside,  she  drew  the  letter  from 
under  her  pillow.  It  had  been  saved  for  just 
the  right  time.  From  first  to  last  it  was  a  blessed 
evangel  to  Edyth.  With  wide,  bewildered  eyes 
she  gazed  at  the  beginning,  "My  own  darling 
Niece,"  and  with  heart  beating  wildly  with  sur- 
prise and  joy  she  read  on  to  the  happy  end. 
The  letter  told  the  story  of  the  dear  old  home 
at  Sumwslope,  of  the  godly  grandfather,  and 
the  sweet  grandmother  and  her  translation,  of 
the  childhood  and  young  womanhood  of  Helen 
and  Eloise,  of  the  marriage  and  death  of  the 
latter,  Edyth's  own  mother.  Helen  wrote  also 
of  her  earnest  prayer  so  wonderfully  answered 
that  she  and  Edj'th  might  meet  and  love  each 
other;  and  expressed  her  firm  confidence  that 
God  would  yet  enable  them  to  be  together.  "Re- 
member, dear,  that  the  roof  that  shelters  me  will 
ever  be  ready  to  protect  you.  Remember  that 

I  love  you,  and  pray  for  you  daily." 
239 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

Many  thoughts  rushed  through  Edvtlf  s  mind, 
but  foremost  among  them  was  the  assurance 
that  her  father  had  told  her  a  terrible  untruth 
in  regard  to  insanity  in  her  mother's  family. 
This  removed  a  tremendous  load  from  her. 
Then  the  knowledge  that  the  woman  who  had 
pointed  her  to  the  Saviour,  and  had  endeared 
herself  so  tenderly  to  the  motherless  girl,  was 
her  nearest  relative  brought  with  it  a  delight 
that  was  like  a  heartening  cordial  to  the 
prisoner.  She  could  have  sung  for  gratitude, 
but  did  not  wish  to  aggravate  her  father,  and  so 
contented  herself  with  a  prayer  of  genuine 
thanksgiving. 

When  she  had  dressed,  replacing  the  letter 
in  the  waist  of  her  gown,  she  went  into  the 
other  room,  radiantly  glad  and  full  of  courage. 
Her  father  opened  the  door  sufficiently  to  re- 
move the  plate  and  glasses  of  the  night  before, 
and  to  replace  them  with  another  supply  of 
bread  and  water,  and  disappeared  without  a 
word.  He  had  given  her  one  swift,  keen  glance, 
and  was  astonished  and  angered  to  see  no  traces 
of  fear  or  dejection. 

Edyth  spent  the  morning  in  reading  the  six- 
240 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

teen  chapters  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Komans, 
selecting  several  passages  and  some  chapters  for 
memorizing,  and  she  was  greatly  surprised  to 
find  how  agreeably  the  hours  glided  away.  She 
had  included  a  paper  of  pins  among  her  require- 
ments, and  now  made  a  calendar  for  the  week 
on  her  pincushion.  She  also  spelled  out  a  verse 
she  was  committing  to  memory  by  means  of 
pins.  This  she  did  in  the  sleeping  room,  as  she 
knew  that  her  father  would  deprive  her  of  even 
such  simple  diversion  should  he  come  in  sud- 
denly from  the  library  and  discover  it.  She 
found  that  the  supply  or  portion  of  bread  and 
water  brought  in  the  morning  was  supposed  to 
sustain  her  for  the  day,  as  no  more  was  fur- 
nished at  noon.  As  the  day  wore  on  she  felt 
cruelly  oppressed  by  her  limitations,  and  by  the 
lack  of  outdoor  air.  She  could  not  pray  nor 
study  all  the  time,  and  her  strong,  lithe  young 
limbs  grew  uneasy.  She  was  glad  when  night 
settled  down  once  more,  that  she  could  go  to  bed 
and  forget  for  a  time  her  father's  tyranny,  but 
the  second  night  she  did  not  sleep  well  because 
of  the  want  of  exercise  and  sufficient  food. 

The    second    morning   she   felt    desperately 
241 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

hungry.  There  was  the  penetrating  aroma  of 
coffee  and  the  odor  of  broiling  steak  in  her 
room,  and  the  usual  bread  and  water  seemed 
to  mock  her  vigorous  appetite.  She  had  read 
and  reread  her  aunt's  letter  until  she  knew 
it  by  heart,  and  she  consumed  a  long  time  in 
tearing  it  into  the  largest  number  of  the  small- 
est possible  pieces,  for  fear  that  it  somehow 
might  fall  into  the  hands  of  her  father. 

Again  she  employed  several  hours  in  Bible 
study,  to  her  great  instruction  and  refresh- 
ment. She  also  gathered  new  strength  through 
prayer,  for  she  realized  that  she  had  no  power  of 
herself  to  maintain  the  painful  conflict.  The 
later  hours  of  the  afternoon  wore  heavily.  The 
rooms  were  ventilated  by  a  fireplace  in  the 
sleeping  room  and  a  transom  over  the  library 
door,  but  Edyth  fairly  panted  for  a  deep 
breath  of  the  clear  cold  air  of  the  street,  for  a 
glimpse  of  the  sky,  for  space  and  freedom. 
She  thrust  out  her  arms  again  and  again  as  if 
to  push  back  the  bare  walls.  She  remembered 
reading  of  a  cell  where  the  sides  gradually 
closed  in  and  crushed  the  prisoner.  She 

dreamed  that  night  that  it  was  so  with  her,  and 
242 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

awoke  with  a  stifled  scream,  then  hid  her  head 
trembling  beneath  the  bed  covering. 

The  third  day  was  one  of  struggle.  The 
confinement,  the  loneliness,  the  silence  hour 
after  hour,  the  lack  of  exercise  in  the  open  air, 
the  monotonous  food,  the  absence  of  her  usual 
occupations  had  begun  to  tell  on  her  health  and 
spirits.  If  she  did  not  yield  to  her  father  she 
knew  not  what  prolonged  misery  would  be  in- 
flicted upon  her.  "I'm  afraid  I'm  not  much  of 
a  martyr !"  she  said  to  herself  with  a  sad  little 
smile.  As  the  afternoon  dragged  on  she  knew 
that  she  would  soon  be  called  upon  for  her 
decision,  and  her  heart  almost  failed  for  fear 
of  herself.  Again  she  knelt  in  prayer.  "0 
Father,"  she  cried,  "thou  knowest  that  I  love 
thee.  Help  me  to  love  thee  better  than  pleasure 
or  even  life  itself.  I  have  no  strength  of  my 
own.  Lord,  help  me,  for  Jesus  Christ's  sake." 

Helen  West  had  received  Edyth's  letter  of 
Monday  morning  on  Tuesday  noon.  Like  King 
Hezekiah  with  his  letter  from  the  Assyrian,  she 
spread  it  before  the  Lord.  She  dared  not  write 
to  Edyth  directly,  but  on  Wednesday  she  wrote 

earnestly  to  Mrs.  Dayton,  and  said : 
"243 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"My  dear  Edyth  is  evidently  approaching  a 
terrible  test.  If  you  and  your  husband  will 
join  your  prayers  with  mine  at  some  certain 
hour — may  I  suggest  four  o'clock  to-morrow 
(Thursday)  afternoon? — I  am  sure  that  she 
will  receive  especial  help." 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dayton  remembered  the  request, 
so  the  school-teacher  bending  over  her  desk  in 
her  deserted  schoolroom  far  away  and  the  two 
faithful  hearts  in  the  city  met  at  the  mercy  seat 
even  while  Edyth  herself  knelt  there  for  succor 
and  deliverance,  all  unmindful  though  she  was 
that  other  voices  pleaded  her  cause  and  faith 
joined  faith  in  her  behalf. 

One  step  she  saw  clearly  before  her,  and  that 
was  to  stand  firmly  for  Christ.  She  made  a 
careful  toilet,  selecting  a  gown  of  soft,  creamy 
cashmere.  It  was  after  dusk  when  her  father 
came  to  the  door,  saying,  "I  am  ready  to  talk 
with  you."  She  followed  him  into  the  library. 
The  large  lamp  on  the  center  table  was  burning 
brightly  within  its  scarlet  shade.  The  fireplace 
was  ablaze  with  royal  good  cheer.  The  light 
danced  and  flamed  and  flickered  across  the  rich- 

ress  and  beauty  of  the  room,  the  rows  of  hand- 
244 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

some  volumes,  the  glinting  marbles,  the  roses  in 
their  tall  Venetian  vase,  the  comfortable  nooks 
and  corners,  and  warm,  deeply  glowing  draper- 
ies. Edyth's  surroundings  for  the  past  three 
days  had  made  her  more  than  usually  sensitive 
to  the  luxurious  charm  of  this  her  favorite 
room.  Her  father  motioned  her  to  a  seat,  but 
himself  paced  up  and  down  in  silence  for  a  few 
moments.  He  was  very  pale  and  evidently 
suffering  from  one  of  the  severe  neuralgic  head- 
aches to  which  he  was  a  victim.  He  began  to 
speak  in  a  rapid,  excited,  intense  manner,  run- 
ning his  fingers  through  his  hair  and  frowning 
heavily.  He  no  longer  assumed  an  air  of  kind- 
ness. 

"Well,  you  have  made  your  decision?"  he 
said,  pausing  in  his  promenade  and  tossing  a 
book  from  one  side  of  the  table  to  the  other. 
"Will  you  give  up  your  nonsense  ?" 

Edyth  sat  silent. 

"You  know  what  I  mean,"  he  continued. 
"Will  you  stop  all  this  rant  about  Christ  and 
his  religion,  and  do  as  I,  your  father,  wish — no, 
command — you  to  do  ?" 

Edyth  arose  and  went  to  a  window,  drawing 
245 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

aside  the  curtains  and  peering  out  through  the 
dusk  into  the  snowy  street,  for  a  heavy  snow- 
storm had  only  just  ceased  at  sunset.  She 
pressed  her  flaming  cheek  against  the  cool  glass 
and  waited  while  Mr.  Wilsey  went  on  in  a 
higher  and  harsher  key: 

"You  have  your  choice  to-night.  If  you  ad- 
here to  your  folly,  you  are  certainly  bereft  of 
your  senses  and  must  be  treated  accordingly, 
namely,  taken  from  your  home  and  deprived  of 
everything  that 'makes  life  worth  living.  What 
you  have  experienced  for  the  past  few  days  is 
nothing  in  comparison  with  what  lies  before 
you." 

Edyth  turned  and  took  a  few  steps  forward  in- 
to the  light,  and  stood  quietly,  her  hands  clasped 
easily  at  arm's-length,  and  with  no  fluttering 
of  the  fingers.  Her  father  turned  on  his  heel 
and  faced  her.  Even  in  his  wrath  he  was  struck 
with  the  beauty  of  her  well-poised  head,  shin- 
ing hair,  gentle,  luminous  gray  eyes,  and  slender 
white-robed  figure,  as  she  stood  in  the  glow  of 
the  lamplight  with  her  answer  on  her  lips.  The 
words  she  spoke  were  almost  as  old  as  the  Chris- 
tian era,  inspired  words  of  one  who  feared 
246 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

neither  the  emperor  on  his  throne,  nor  the  dark- 
ness of  the  Mamertine,  nor  the  hungry  lions  of 
the  arena,  nor  the  executioner's  sword.  She  had 
pored  over  them  in  her  solitude,  and  they  had 
burned  themselves  into  her  inmost  conscious- 
ness: 

"I  am  persuaded,  that  neither  death,  nor  life, 
nor  angels,  nor  principalities,  nor  powers,  nor 
things  present,  nor  things  to  come,  nor  height, 
nor  depth,  nor  any  other  creature,  shall  be  able 
to  separate  me  from  the  love  of  God,  which  is 
in  Jesus  Christ  my  Lord." 

There  was  silence  between  the  two  as  she 
finished.  The  fire  crackled  on  the  hearth.  The 
tall  old-fashioned  clock  ticked  solemnly.  The 
sound  of  snow  shovels  up  and  down  the  street 
marked  the  stillness.  Something  seemed  to  be 
struggling  with  Laurance  Wilsey's  anger  and 
determination.  But  when  he  replied  he  said: 

"You  have  spoken,  and  my  course  is  clear. 
Weary  months  from  now,  when  you  have  long 
cried  to  your  Christ  for  help  and  no  help  has 
come,  you  may  remember  your  father  and  your 
home,  and  humbly  seek  for  what  you  cast  from 

you  to-night." 

247 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

There  was  intense  bitterness  in  his  tone.  He 
waved  her  back  toward  the  room  she  had  left, 
and  shortly  afterward  sent  a  maid  with  a  tray 
of  food  from  the  dinner  table.  Then  he  locked 
the  door  as  usual,  leaving  her  in  suspense  as 
to  his  further  procedure. 

It  was  yet  early  in  the  evening  when  the  street 
doorbell  was  rung  furiously  by  a  messenger  with 
a  business  telegram,  and  Mr.  Wilsey  had  occa- 
sion to  come  back  into  his  office  to  secure  some 
important  papers  that  he  kept  in  his  desk.  He 
lighted  the  gas  for  a  few  moments,  and  Edyth 
asked  if  a  fire  might  be  built  in  the  inner  room 
to  secure  better  ventilation.  He  consented,  and 
summoned  the  maid  and  stood  by  and  watched 
her  while  the  sticks  were  laid  and  lighted.  He 
then  went  out  with  his  package  of  papers,  hav- 
ing relocked  his  desk.  As  the  door  closed  behind 
him,  and  Edyth  heard  the  key  turn  in  the  lock, 
leaving  her  once  again  in  darkness  and  soli- 
tude, a  great  wave  of  misery  swept  over  her. 
Evidently  some  terrible  trial  lay  before  her, 
probably  incarceration  in  an  asylum  for  the 
insane. 

The  fire  was  now  blazing  brightly  in  the  other 
248 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

room,  and  she  started  from  her  chair  in  the 
office  to  go  and  sit  in  the  light.  As  she  arose  a 
small  golden  comb  fell  from  her  hair  to  the  floor, 
and  as  she  felt  along  the  rug  for  it  her  fingers 
came  in  contact  with  a  thin,  flat  key,  which  she 
involuntarily  slipped  in  her  pocket,  while  she 
replaced  the  comb.  A  strain  of  one  of  the  songs 
that  she  had  heard  in  the  Temple  at  Ocean 
Grove  came  back  to  her  mind :  "Thy  God  is  able 
to  deliver  thee."  Yes;  God  was  stronger  than 
all  the  agents  of  evil.  He  could  deliver  her  from 
the  cruel  net  that  was  tightening  about  her 
steps.  Would  he  do  so  ?  She  drew  a  chair  before 
the  hearth,  and  sat  down  to  continue  her 
thoughts.  As  the  wandering  light  of  the  fire 
flickered  along  the  walls  she  idly  noticed  what 
had  previously  caught  her  passing  attention, 
that  the  space  between  the  mantel  and  one 
corner  of  the  room  was  occupied  by  what  was 
evidently  a  small  clothes  closet.  She  had  wished 
that  her  father  had  given  her  access  to  it  for  her 
gowns.  There  was  no  knob  on  the  door.  Only 
a  keyhole  was  visible.  Actuated  by  a  sudden  im- 
pulse, Edyth  arose,  took  from  her  pocket  the 

key  she  had  just  found,  and  tried  it  in  the  lock 
249 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

of  the  closet.  It  fitted  perfectly  and  turned 
with  ease.  She  opened  the  door,  and  started 
back  in  amazement.  No  rows  of  hooks  hung 
with  garments  nor  a  series  of  well-ordered 
shelves  confronted  her,  but  she  saw  the  small 
landing  of  a  steep  and  narrow  staircase,  from 
which  she  shrank  back  in  affright.  Then 
gathering  courage,  she  tore  the  side  from  the 
cover  of  one  of  her  paper  boxes,  lighted  it  in  the 
fire,  and  held  it  as  a  torch  down  the  stairway, 
thereby  discovering  that  it  was  only  a  short 
descent  and  terminated  at  a  low  door  in  the 
side  of  the  house.  She  had  read  of  such  secret 
exits  in  the  stories  of  old  castles,  but  this  lacked 
all  the  elements  of  grewsomeness.  Here  were 
no  broken,  slippery  steps,  no  sudden  turns,  no 
dark  depths  beneath.  It  was  only  a  private 
entrance  to  a  modern  mansion.  The  steps  ran 
along  the  rough  stone  wall  of  the  basement 
story,  but  were  inclosed  on  the  other  side  by  a 
neatly  painted  partition  of  wood. 

Edyth  made  sure  that  her  sleeping-room  door 
was  securely  fastened,  and  then  ventured  down 
to  the  foot  of  the  stairs.  It  was  easy  to  find  the 

lock,  and  to  her  great  delight  the  same  key 
250 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

fitted  it.  She  opened  the  door  softly,  and  a 
gust  of  outer  air  blew  in  upon  her.  She  looked 
through  the  opening,  and  observed  that  the  door, 
which  was  very  small,  led  into  an  area-way 
right  beside  the  regular  side  entrance  to  the 
basement.  It  had  a  false  covering  of  matched 
stuff  like  the  rest  of  the  interior  of  the  shelter 
to  the  big,  iron-grated  door,  and  on  the  outside 
the  keyhole  was  skillfully  concealed  by  some 
ornamentation  that  extended  around  the  wkole 
place. 

Edyth  did  not  meditate  any  longer  that  night 
before  the  fire.  Escape  was  easy,  and  she  de- 
termined to  leave  at  once.  Suddenly  she  be- 
thought herself  that  she  was  without  a  hat  or 
wrap  of  any  description,  and  that  no  street 
gown  nor  even  a  pair  of  gloves  nor  boots  was 
among  her  boxes.  She  did  not  hesitate,  how- 
ever, on  her  course.  She  dared  not  delay  to 
change  her  white  gown  for  a  more  suitable  one. 
Her  father  might  miss  the  private  key  at  any 
moment  from  his  pocket.  She  had  her  pocket- 
book  containing  nearly  ten  dollars,  and  she 
made  a  small  parcel  of  necessities,  tying  a  few 

jewels  up  in  a  pocket  handkerchief.    She  slipped 
251 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

her  feet  into  a  pair  of  fur-trimmed  bath  shoes, 
wrapped  her  head  in  a  white  lace  fichu,  and 
threw  a  small  down  coverlet  of  light  blue  silk 
around  her  shoulders.  Even  in  her  haste  and 
peril  she  almost  laughed  aloud  at  her  strange 
costume.  She  made  her  way  down  the  stairs 
and  out  into  the  area,  shutting  the  door  behind 
her.  It  was  after  eight  o'clock,  and  the  streets 
in  that  neighborhood  were  almost  deserted  ex- 
cept, for  a  belated  snow  shoveler  finishing  his 
task  and  whistling  to  his  dog. 

Trembling  with  joy  and  fear  and  excite- 
ment, Edyth  made  her  way,  passing  in  one  place 
under  an  awning  where  wedding  guests  were 
entering  from  their  carriages.  She  had  de- 
termined to  get  to  Mrs.  Dayton,  and  as  she 
walked  on  she  saw  a  cab  drive  up  to  a  house. 
A  man  jumped  out,  paid  the  driver,  and  dis- 
missed him.  Fortunately  the  cabby  took  the 
opportunity  to  remove  the  snow  from  his  horse's 
feet.  Edyth  hurried  forward  and  asked  him  to 
take  her  to  the  distant  street  and  number, 
agreed  to  his  price,  promised  him  an  extra  dol- 
lar, and  soon  found  herself  making  difficult  but 
sure  progress  to  the  little  East-Side  parsonage. 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

CHAPTER  IX 

WHEN  Edyth  rang  the  doorbell  of  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Dayton's  house  it  was  nearly  ten  o'clock, 
and  the  pastor  and  his  wife  had  already  gone 
up  stairs  to  their  room,  and  were  even  then 
talking  about  her  with  considerable  anxiety. 
The  sound  of  the  bell  at  all  hours  from  dawn 
to  midnight  was  more  common  than  its  silence, 
and  Mr.  Dayton  went  himself  to  answer  it,  stop- 
ping to  relight  the  gas  in  the  hall,  and  wonder- 
ing if  some  parishioner  were  ill,  or  if  a  stray 
couple  wanted  to  get  married.  He  was  startled 
from  his  habitual  poise  when  he  saw  Edyth 
Wilsey  in  her  odd  attire  asking  for  admission. 
Hastily  calling  his  wife  and  lighting  up  the 
parlor,  he  invited  Edyth  to  a  chair.  She  was 
very  pale,  and  her  teeth  chattered  so  with  nerv- 
ousness that  she  could  not  control  her  speech 
for  a  few  moments.  When  Mrs.  Dayton  ap- 
peared and  opened  her  motherly  arms  in  welcome 
Edyth  fell  into  them  and  sobbed  in  silence. 
Mrs.  Dayton  drew  her  down  beside  herself  on  a 

sofa,  and  the  fugitive  grew  quiet  and  able  to 
17  253 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

relate  the  events  of  the  week.  Mr.  Dayton 
looked  very  grave  and  thoughtful,  and  his  wife, 
in  spite  .of  her  warm  sympathy,  was  wondering 
where  she  could  make  a  place  for  the  unexpected 
guest,  as  the  one  spare  sleeping  room  was  even 
then  in  the  possession  of  a  cousin  and  his  wife 
from  the  country. 

"My  dear  child,"  said  Mr.  Dayton,  "you  are 
made  of  the  real  martyr  stuff,  and  I  rejoice  in 
your  heavenly  courage.  We  must  consider  at 
once  what  is  best  for  you  to  do.  Your  father 
is  not  a  man'  to  let  you  so  easily  escape  him. 
You  will  surely  be  traced,  and  I  think  that  you 
had  better  allow  me  to  take  you  to  a  safer  place 
than  this  to-night.  Clara,"  he  said  to  his  wife, 
"don't  you  think  that  Uncle  John  Campbell 
and  his  wife  would  open  their  hearts  and  home 
to  this  dear  girl  ?" 

"They  would  do  anything  for  the  Master,  and 
for  you,  Charles,  as  his  representative,"  she 
replied.  Then  turning  to  Edyth  she  said,  "It 
is  a  lovely  old  Scotch  couple,  who  have  a  neat, 
cozy  little  home  and  no  family." 

"I'll  run  around  and  see  them  at  once,"  said 

Mr.  Dayton,  putting  on  his  overcoat  and  hat. 
254 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

'  "I  am  sorry  to  have  you  go  another  step  to- 
night, dear,"  said  Mrs.  Dayton  to  Edyth,  "but 
we  must  not  allow  you  to  be  found  and  perse- 
cuted. Now  let  me  see  what  I  can  do  for  you. 
You  are  much  more  slender  than  I,  and  my 
gowns  would  be  awkward  for  you,  but  you  can 
wear  my  fur-lined  circular  that  my  brother  sent 
me  last  winter,  and  I  have  a  little  black  fasci- 
nator that  will  be  less  conspicuous  and  warmer 
than  that  white  lace  scarf." 

Mrs.  Dayton  went  to  get  the  wraps,  stopping 
long  enough  on  her  way  back  to  prepare  a  steam- 
ing cup  of  cocoa  on  her  little  alcohol  stove. 
"Are  you  sure  that  your  feet  are  warm  and 
dry  ?"  she  said,  going  down  on  her  knees  to  ex- 
amine Edyth's  footgear,  and  satisfying  herself 
that  the  fur-trimmed  bath  shoes  had  kept  out 
the  dampness. 

Mr.  Dayton  returned  in  half  an  hour  and  told 
how  he  had  found  "Uncle  John"  and  his  wife 
still  about  the  house,  having  entertained  a  party 
of  friends  for  the  evening,  and  of  how  the  kind 
old  eyes  had  grown  misty  and  the  tongues  had 
lapsed  into  the  broadest  Scotch  as  he  told  them 

in  confidence  something  of  Edyth's  story. 
255 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"The  puir  bonnie  lassie,"  Jeanie  had  said, 
drying  her  glasses  on  her  white  apron.  "We 
canna  turn  her  awa  the  nicht,  John." 

"No,  no,  Jeanie.  We  eouldna  rin  with  a  pil- 
low for  the  Lord  when  he  had  no  spot  for  his 
head,  but  it  isna  too  late  so  lang  as  any  bairn 
o*  his  has  need  o'  ane." 

"I'll  gae  noo  an'  spread  the  best  bed  for  the 
mitherless  lamb,"  said  Mrs.  Campbell. 

"It's  a  sweet,  quiet  place  to  be,"  said  Mrs. 
Dayton,  as  she  helped  Edyth  on  with  the  cloak. 
"Aunt  Jeanie  Campbell's  best  bed  is  a  marvel, 
and  you'll  be  as  safe  in  it  to-night  as  if  you 
were  on  the  Shetland  Isles." 

An  hour  later  Edyth  was  lying  peacefully  in 
the  soft,  fresh,  snow-white  bed  in  Jeanie  Camp- 
bell's spare  room.  The  linen  was  fragrant  with 
white  melilot,  reminding  one  of  summer  fields, 
and  the  whole  place  breathed  of  purity  and  rest. 
Keenly  as  Edyth  felt  herself  to  be  a  wanderer 
and  dependent  upon  the  kindness  of  others,  a 
blessed  sense  of  security  crept  over  her.  She 
thought  of  the  soothing  "gude  nicht"  of  the 
serene  old  saint,  her  hostess,  who  turned  as  she 

left  the  room  with  her  candle  and  said,  "In  the 
256 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

covert  of  thy  presence  shalt  Thou  hide  them 
from  the  plottings  of  man." 

Edyth  fell  asleep  like  a  weary  child,  and  did 
not  open  her  eyes  again  until  broad  daylight. 
Mr.  Dayton  came  soon  after  breakfast  for  fur- 
ther conference.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Campbell  as- 
sured him  that  their  guest  was  welcome  to  stay 
indefinitely,  but  he  replied : 

"Miss  Wilsey's  father  will  immediately  take 
measures  to  recover  his  daughter.  If  the  cab- 
man who  brought  her  to  us  is  found,  and  re- 
members the  number  of  our  house,  or  even  the 
street,  she  will  soon  be  traced.  I  am  going  from 
here  to  sec  Mrs.  Walthope  and  arrange  for  a 
more  remote  shelter." 

Edyth  spent  the  morning  with  Mrs.  Camp- 
bell, receiving  much  inspiration  from  the  ex- 
perience and  beautiful  counsels  of  that  genuine 
Christian  woman.  Mrs.  Campbell  told  her  that 
Mrs.  Walthope  was  a  wealthy  widow  with  no 
children,  and  that  she  had  belonged  for  many 
years  to  their  church,  but  within  a  decade  had 
removed  her  residence  to  a  little  town  in  the 
suburbs,  retaining  her  membership,  although 

not  often  able  to  attend  services,  and  still  con- 
257 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

tributing  generously  toward  the  current  ex- 
penses. She  was  a  devoted  Christian,  simple 
and  economical  in  her  way  of  living,  but  with 
an  open  purse  for  God's  work.  At  the  mention 
of  the  name  of  Walthope,  Edyth's  brow  had 
contracted  in  a  puzzled  little  frown. 

"I  have  surely  heard  that  name  somewhere," 
said  she.  "It  is  not  common,  and  has  sometime 
struck  me  forcibly,  even  as  it  does  now." 

But  after  a  few  moments  of  rummaging  on 
the  shelves  of  memory  she  abandoned  the  effort 
to  remember.  Mrs.  Dayton  dropped  in  a  short 
time  before  noon,  and  as  Edyth  had  told  her 
of  Miss  West's  letter  there  was  no  longer  any 
hindrance  to  their  free  conversation  about  so 
dear  a  mutual  friend,  and  Mrs.  Dayton  was  able 
to  enhance  even  the  loveliness  with  which 
Edyth's  ardor  had  clothed  her  aunt's  character. 

"I  would  like  to  be  with  her,"  she  said. 

"Yes,  dear,"  said  Mrs.  Dayton,  "but  would  it 
be  wise  just  yet?"  You  know  that  your  father 
is  aware  that  you  have  written  to  her,  and  ho 
might  think  you  would  go  there  for  shelter." 

Just   then   Mr.   Dayton   returned   from   his 

errand. 

258 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"Mrs.  Walthope  will  be  delighted  to  have  a 
visit  from  Miss  Wilsey,"  said  he,  "and  we  had 
better  take  the  three  o'clock  train  from  the 
Grand  Central.  It  is  not  impossible  that  the 
station  is  already  under  surveillance,  and  we 
must  arrange  a  complete  disguise." 

The  Scotch  lady  was  nearer  Edyth's  size  than 
Mrs.  Dayton,  and  she  selected  a  dark  cotton 
print  gown  from  her  store  that  fitted  her  visitor 
tolerably  well,  and  was  just  the  right  length. 
She  also  provided  an  old  gray  woolen  shawl, 
and  a  crocheted  scarf  in  lieu  of  a  hood.  Mr. 
Dayton  had  procured  a  pair  of  cheap  black 
rnittens  and  shoes  whose  coarseness  were  a 
torture  to  Edyth's  delicate  feet,  but  which  were 
the  right  size.  These  were  scratched  and  other- 
wise defaced  to  give  them  a  worn  appearance. 
A  thick  brown  veil  completed  this  peculiar  out- 
fit, and  a  market  basket  containing  a  few  po- 
totoes  and  turnips  and  a  brown  paper  parcel 
added  a  touch  of  reality.  Edyth  laughed  until 
she  cried  when  she  saw  the  reflection  of  herself 
in  the  pier  glass.  She  tried  to  practice  the 
weary,  shambling  gait  of  a  middle-aged  scrub- 
woman. 

259 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"Now,"  said  Mr.  Dayton,  "you  must  not  ap- 
pear to  have  any  acquaintance  with  me  what- 
ever. Simply  follow  me  at  a  little  distance. 
When  I  reach  Mrs.  Walthope's  house  I  will  stop 
and  consult  my  watch  and  walk  on,  but  you 
must  turn  in  at  the  driveway.  I  bought  the 
tickets  on  the  way  down.  Slip  this  one  in  your 
mitten." 

Mr.  Dayton  went  down  the  front  steps,  and 
shortly  after  what  was  an  apparently  respect- 
able but  indigent  workingwoman  emerged 
from  the  area  gate.  If  the  neighbors  could  have 
looked  into  the  basement  hall  a  moment 
earlier  they  would  have  been  surprised  to 
have  seen  the  woman  with  the  basket  em- 
braced and  kissed  most  heartily  by  two  lovely 
ladies. 

"God  gae  wi'  ye,  my  bairnie,''  said  Jeanie, 
between  her  tears. 

Mr.  Dayton  walked  to  the  nearest  avenue,  and 
boarded  an  uptown  car.  Edyth  waited  for  the 
next  one.  He  was  in  sight  when  she  alighted 
at  Forty-second  Street,  and  even  in  the  crowd 
that  pressed  in  front  of  the  exit  to  the  train  she 

had  no  difficulty  in  keeping  his  tall  form  in 
260 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

view.  She  little  knew  that  as  she  went  into 
the  station  she  passed  right  before  the  eyes  of  a 
paid  detective  who  had  her  photograph  in  his 
pocket.  After  a  short  ride  the  train  stopped  at 
a  small  but  picturesque  stone  station,  where  Mr. 
Dayton  alighted.  He  had  not  exchanged  a  look 
nor  a  word  with  Edyth  since  they  started.  She 
followed  him  afar  along  the  village  street,  com- 
ing shortly  to  a  broad  avenue  lined  with  pretty 
cottages  with  fine  lawns  and  large  trees.  Here 
her  guide  turned  and  walked  on,  pausing  after 
a  while  at  the  entrance  to  a  driveway  leading 
under  a  long  arch  of  trees  to  a  plain  brick 
mansion  with  a  wide  veranda.  Mr.  Dayton  con- 
sulted his  watch  and  passed  on,  and  for  a  second 
Edyth  felt  as  if  she  must  throw  back  her  veil, 
cast  aside  her  basket,  and  run  after  him,  such 
a  desolate,  homesick  feeling  took  hold  of  her. 
She  went  with  shrinking  steps  along  the 
drive  and  around  to  a  rear  door.  Her  arm  was 
aching  with  the  weight  of  the  basket,  but  her 
heart  throbbed  so  painfully  that  she  was  hardly 
conscious  of  her  weariness.  A  gay  little  cutter 
with  luxurious  robes  stood  at  the  front  steps, 

and  a  spirited  horse  tossed  his  nose  impatiently 
2G1 


THE  KING'S  GOLD. 

in  the  air  and  flaunted  his  scarlet  pompons, 
pawing  restlessly  and  jingling  his  silver  bells. 
Mrs.  Walthope  always  indulged  herself  in  a 
good  horse.  A  dark,  handsome  young  lady  in 
seal  cap  and  coat  and  a  rich  red  gown  came 
down  the  steps  and  entered  the  sleigh.  A  groom 
who  had  been  holding  the  horse  handed  her  the 
reins  and  tucked  in  the  heavy  robe.  As  Edyth 
passed  the  corner  of  the  piazza  she  saw  that  the 
young  woman  was  her  old  school  friend  Eleanor 
Lee,  "Melpomene,"  whom  she  had  not  seen  since 
their  parting  at  Asbury  Park.  Eleanor  sped 
like  the  wind  down  the  avenue,  and  Edyth 
knocked  timidly  at  the  servant's  door.  The  maid 
who  answered  the  knock  had  been  ordered  by 
her  mistress  to  turn  no  woman  away  who  should 
ask  for  her  that  afternoon.  The  maid  looked 
in  amazement  when  the  quaint  figure  at  the 
door  handed  her  a  visiting  card.  It  was  one  of 
Mr.  Dayton's  with  an  announcement  of  his 
church  services  on  the  back  of  it. 

There  was  only  a  brief  delay,  and  Edyth  was 
ushered  into  the  sitting  room  of  Mrs.  Walthope, 
and  was  greeted  by  that  lady  with  sincerest 

cordiality.     Mrs.  Walthope  was  a  tall,  erect, 
262 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

slender  woman  with  snowy  hair  and  a  some- 
what severely  dignified  countenance.  Her  eyes 
were  dark  and  piercing,  but  her  firm  mouth  had 
kindly  lines  about  the  corners,  and  her  voice 
was  not  harsh,  although  a  trifle  hard  in  quality. 
She  was  dressed  in  black  silk  with  white  lace 
in  the  neck  and  sleeves,  and  wore  a  brooch  con- 
taining a  miniature  of  Mr.  Walthope  taken  at 
the  time  of  his  marriage,  forty  years  before. 
She  motioned  Edyth  to  a  chair,  and  with  her 
own  hands  removed  her  wraps. 

"It  is  more  than  kind  of  you,  Mrs.  Walthope/' 
said  Edyth,  "to  let  me  come  here.  I  hope  I 
shall  not  have  to  trespass  long  upon  your  hos- 
pitality." 

"My  dear  Miss  Wilsey,  this  episode  is  quite 
a  break  in  my  unromantic  life,  as  if  it  had 
turned  into  a  storybook  and  I  was  one  of  the 
characters.  My  father's  house  was  a  station  on 
the  underground  railroad,  long,  long  before  you 
were  born,  and  I  hope  that  I  stand  as  ready  as 
he  was  proved  to  be  to  share  my  roof  and  my 
daily  bread  with  the  Lord's  oppressed  little  ones. 
Now  that  your  shawl  is  removed  I  see  that  your 

gown  is  none  too  warm.    Come  with  me  up  to 
263 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

my  own  room,  and  we  will  try  to  make  you 
more  comfortable." 

Once  again  Edyth  was  clothed  in  a  dress  of 
another,  this  time  a  gray  wrapper  of  Mrs.  Wal- 
thope's,  too  long  in  the  sleeves  and  on  the  shoul- 
der seams.  She  told  her  hostess  how  she  had 
escaped  in  a  white  cashmere  dinner  gown. 

"To-morrow,"  said  Mrs.  Walthope,  "I  will 
send  to  town  for  materials,  and  have  a  dress- 
maker here  provide  you  with  something  to 
wear." 

Edyth  drew  her  small  package  of  jewels  from 
her  bosom,  and  laid  them  in  Mrs.  Walthope's 
lap. 

"Please  do  with  them  as  you  see  fit,"  she  said, 
simply. 

"Then  I  will  put  them  in  my  safe,"  replied 
Mrs.  Walthope,  smilingly,  "until  you  want 
them." 

"But  I  cannot  bear  to  be  indebted  to  a  stran- 
ger for  food  and  clothing,"  said  Edyth. 

"Miss  Wilsey,"  said  her  new  friend,  laying 
one  hand  on  hers,  "please  put  aside  all  thoughts 
of  that  sort  and  be  perfectly  content.  All  that 

I  have  comes  from  my  Father,  who  is  your 
264 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

Father  too,  and  you  and  I  are  sisters  in  Christ. 
I  feel  it  an  honor  to  minister  to  one  who  is  suf- 
fering for  his  truth's  sake/' 

"Dear  Mrs.  Walthope !"  said  Edyth,  involun- 
tarily, touched  beyond  expression. 

Her  hostess  smiled  a  little  sadly,  and  a 
shadow  rested  for  an  instant  on  her  brow. 
"Many  call  me  queer  and  stingy  and  hard- 
hearted. It  seems  strange  to  hear  a  word  of 
real  endearment." 

"I  thought  I  saw  an  old  chum  of  mine  drive 
away  from  your  door  as  I  came  in,"  said  Edyth, 
to  break  a  rather  embarrassing  silence. 

"What !  are  you  the  Miss  Wilsey  who  was  at 
Madam  Knight's  with  Eleanor?"  asked  Mrs. 
Walthope,  in  great  surprise.  "She  is  my 
brother's  daughter,  and  she  is  here  now  on  a 
visit.  I  have  not  told  her  that  I  expected  you. 
Will  you  wish  to  meet  her?" 

"Why,  certainly,"  replied  Edyth.  "She  will 
have  no  sympathy  with  my  course,  I  know, 
but  she  is  a  part  of  my  lovely  years  at  school, 
and  I  will  be  glad  to  see  her." 

It  all  came  back  to  Edyth  now,  how  Eleanor 

used  to  talk  of  her  Aunt  Walthope  in  no  very 
265 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

loving  nor  respectful  terms,  ridiculing  her  plain 
ways,  her  religion,  and  the  close  management 
of  her  household. 

"We  take  turns  in  being  sweet  on  her," 
Eleanor  had  said,  "for  she's  worth  a  pile,  and  we 
are  her  nearest  relatives.  I  always  dread  my 
time  to  visit  her  in  her  stiff,  pious,  lonely  house ; 
but  there's  one  thing  in  my  favor — she  always 
keeps  an  elegant  horse,  and  I  drive  to  my  heart's 
content." 

Edyth  did  not  feel  an  unmixed  delight  at 
the  thought  of  Eleanor's  presence.  Their 
friendship  had  met  with  an  entering  wedge 
when  Edyth  announced  at  Asbury  Park  her  de- 
sire to  be  a  Christian,  and  Eleanor  had  scorned 
and  resented  the  message. 

"Eleanor  is  far  from  the  kingdom,"  said  her 
aunt.  "I  don't  know  that  I  ever  saw  a  young 
woman  so  eager  for  the  world.  She  is  cither 
hilarious  over  some  prospective  pleasure  or 
moody  and  discontented  for  the  lack  of  excite- 
ment. She  has  plenty  of  capacity  for  good,  but 
it  is  appropriated  by  foolishness  at  present." 

When  Eleanor  returned  from  her  drive  her 

surprise  at  meeting  Edyth  was  unbounded.  She 
2GG 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

had  been  angry  with  the  latter,  and  had  not 
written  to  her  because  Edyth's  straightforward 
confession  of  Christ  to  her  girl  friends  had  been 
a  dart  that  had  sped  to  Eleanor's  soul  and  had 
never  ceased  to  rankle  there. 

When  Edyth  was  preparing  for  rest  that  night 
Eleanor  came  to  her  door  and  asked  for  ad- 
mittance. She  had  already  promised  her  aunt 
that  she  would  reveal  to  no  one  Edyth's  pres- 
ence in  the  house.  Edyth  invited  her  in,  and 
Eleanor  threw  herself  on  the  sofa  and  began  to 
talk  in  a  subdued  tone,  but  rapidly  and  with 
much  excitement. 

"I  want  to  tell  you  my  troubles,"  said  she, 
as  Edyth  took  a  chair  beside  her.  "I'm  here  for 
a  purpose,  and  fear  that  I'm  not  going  to  suc- 
ceed. My  father  lost  the  most  of  his  money  a 
little  while  ago,  and  we've  had  to  cut  down 
awfully." 

Eleanor  paused  a  moment  as  if  hesitating 
as  to  the  wisdom  of  turning  her  heart  inside  out. 
Then  with  a  flushing  cheek  and  averted  eyes  she 
went  boldly  on : 

"To  make  matters  worse  just  now,  there's  a 

man  in  the  case,  Edyth,  a  magnificent  fellow, 
267 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

the  greatest  catch  in  Baltimore.  A  party  is 
being  formed  for  a  Mediterranean  trip  after  the 
holidays,  southern  France,  you  know,  and  Italy, 
and  Algiers,  and  Egypt,  and  all  that.  It  is  a 
small  party  under  the  care  of  an  elderly  pro- 
fessor of  languages  and  his  wife,  and  only  the 
very  best  people  will  be  in  it.  This  man  is 
going,  and  his  unmarried  sister  and  her  girl 
friend — 0,  Edyth,  her  friend,  not  a  bit  pretty, 
but  with  heaps  of  money  and  an  elegant  figure, 
and  that  subtle,  elusive,  victorious  quality  called 
'charm !'  0,  how  I  hate  her !  When  I  am 
around  he  seems  to  have  no  eyes  nor  thoughts 
for  her.  He  has  taken  me  out  a  lot  too.  If  it 
wasn't  for  this  girl  with  her  indescribable 
atmosphere  I  should  be  sure  of  him.  Father 
positively  cannot  afford  to  send  me  on  this 
cruise,  and  yet  I  know  if  I  could  go  there  would 
be  little  doubt  of  the  result — my  market  would 
be  made ;  whereas  if  she  goes  and  I  don't,  good- 
bye to  all  my  prospects.  I  want  two  thousand 
dollars  clean  cash,  and  I  must  have  it  even  if  I 
have  to  steal  it !  Aunt  Roxana  shows  no  signs 
of  yielding,  although  I  have  told  her  that  my 

life's  happiness  depends  on  it." 
208 


THE  KIXG'S  GOLD 

Edyth  regarded  Eleanor  in  silence  for  a  while, 
pity  and  disgust  mingling  in  her  heart.  She 
was  accustomed  to  Eleanor's  extravagancies  of 
speech  and  manner,  but  this  coarseness  of  mind 
was  of  later  development,  and  Edyth  inwardly 
recoiled  from  it,  even  while  she  longed  to  tell 
her  of  nobler  aims  and  a  tranquil  mind. 
Eleanor  was  in  a  fever  of  unrest,  and  her  great 
dark  eyes  blazed  with  the  fire  of  ambition. 

"Why  don't  you  answer  me,  Edyth  ?"  she  said, 
raising  her  voice.  "It  makes  me  mad  to  see  you 
sit  there  so  placid  and  silent." 

"I  am  wondering  how  I  can  help  you,  Mel," 
replied  Edyth.  "0,  if  you  only  would  let  go  of 
yourself,  and  turn  to  your  heavenly  Father,  and 
let  him  undertake  your  life  for  you !" 

"Nonsense !"  retorted  Eleanor,  rising  abrupt- 
ly. "Your  religion  has  done  great  things  for 
you  so  far,  I  should  say.  It  has  taught  you 
to  defy  your  kind  father,  and  has  driven  you 
to  this  villainous  outpost  of  civilization  into  one 
of  Aunt  Roxana's  lugubrious  double-gowns." 

"But,  Mel,"  said  Edyth,  calmly,  "I  have  a  joy 
and  peace  that  I  cannot  express." 

"Edyth  Wilsey,  if  you  will  pardon  my  candor, 
18  269 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

I  must  say  that  if  you  are  not  a  fool  it  would 
take  a  chemical  test  to  prove  it,  and  I  myself 
feel  like  one  to  have  emptied  out  my  heart  to 
you.  I  might  have  known  that  all  I  would  get 
would  be  material  for  a  tract.  I  will  bid  you 
good  night." 

Eleanor  trailed  into  her  own  room  with 
positive  hatred  for  Edyth  springing  up  within 
her  miserable  soul.  Hate  is  a  plant  that  grows 
like  the  gourd,  but  takes  root  like  the  oak,  and 
maintains  a  perennial  freshness  like  the  ever- 
green. It  withers  not  except  at  the  lightning- 
like  touch  of  divine  love. 

"I  wonder  that  I  ever  admired  her  fair,  in- 
sipid face  and  soft,  catlike  ways,"  Eleanor  said 
to  herself.  "How  dare  she  preach  to  me !" 

Long  after  Edyth  had  dropped  into  calm  and 
dreamless  sleep  Eleanor  tossed  to  and  fro  on 
her  couch,  her  mind  ravaged  by  selfish  and  un- 
holy desires  and  purposes,  and  even  when  she 
fell  asleep  it  was  only  a  light  doze  that  brought 
no  refreshing.  She  was  up  early,  and  when 
Edyth  entered  the  breakfast  room  she  stood  by 
a  window,  dressed  for  the  street,  reading  the 

"personals"  in  a  New  York  daily.    She  greeted 
270 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

Edyth  with  scant  courtesy,  and  proceeded  to 
tear  off  the  page  of  advertising  matter  she  had 
been  skimming,  saying  carelessly,  "A  special 
sale  of  marked-down  silks  at  Blank  &  Co.'s  to- 
day. Think  I'll  run  to  town  and  look  at  them. 
Besides,  I  want  some  new  music.  Good  morn- 
ing, auntie,"  as  Mrs.  Walthope  came  in,  "can 
I  do  any  errands  for  you  in  town  to-day?" 

"Why,  yes,  Eleanor,  if  you  will  order  a  few 
articles  for  Miss  Wilsey  I  will  be  glad/' 

"Better  come  along,  Edyth,"  said  Eleanor, 
with  a  touch  of  sarcasm  in  her  voice,  "you  would 
cut  such  a  swath  in  that  wrapper.  It  must  be 
delightful  to  make  a  prisoner  of  one's  self !" 

Mrs.  Walthope  frowned  slightly,  but,  ignor- 
ing the  remarks  of  her  niece,  addressed  herself 
to  Edyth:  "Will  you  suggest  as  to  quality  and 
color  of  dress  goods  ?" 

"Since  you  are  so  kind,"  said  Edyth,  with  re- 
luctance, "as  to  purpose  to  get  me  a  gown,  I  will 
leave  the  quality  to  you.  As  to  the  color,  what 
do  you  think  of  a  navy  blue?" 

"Serviceable  and  becoming,"  replied  her  kind 
friend.  "Eleanor,  suppose  you  select  a  soft, 

medium-weight  serge,  and  bring  it  with  you, 
271 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

and  I  will  get  Miss  Prince  to  make  it  up  at 
once." 

Eleanor  assented  with  a  most  indifferent  air, 
finished  her  coffee,  and  excused  herself,  walking 
listlessly  from  the  room.  When  she  had  reached 
her  own  bedchamber  a  change  came  over  her. 
She  fastened  the  door,  clapped  her  hands  softly, 
and  pirouetted  from  one  end  of  the  apartment 
to  the  other.  Then  she  drew  the  page  of  news- 
paper from  her  pocket,  and  pored  over  a  few 
lines  before  cutting  them  out.  This  is  what  she 
read  with  devouring  eyes :  "Two  Thousand  Dol- 
lars Cash  Reward  for  information  that  will  lead 
to  the  recovery  of  a  fair,  slender  young  lady 
who  has  been  missing  from  her  home  since 
Thursday  night.  Call  at Broadway." 

"She  ought  to  be  at  home  where  she  belongs," 
said  Eleanor  to  herself,  as  she  hurried  into  her 
jacket.  "I  shall  be  doing  the  right  thing." 

But  she  would  not  slacken  her  grip  on  her 
resolve  lest  she  hear  a  thousand  voices  shout- 
ing "Shame !" 

To  return  to  Laurance  Wilsey.  The  telegram 
that  he  received  the  night  that  Edyth  left  the 

house  was  of  such  moment  that  he  was  occupied 
272 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

with  his  business  documents  far  into  the  night, 
and  overslept  the  next  morning,  to  obtain  which 
temporary  forgetfulness  of  his  troubles,  and  of 
the  physical  pain  that  was  still  intense,  he  took 
a  carefully  measured  dose  of  a  narcotic.  When 
he  set  the  usual  tray  of  bread  and  water  upon 
the  desk  in  his  private  office  it  was  late,  and  he 
was  surprised  to  see  that  the  inner  door  was  still 
closed.  He  rapped  upon  it,  but  receiving  no 
reply  repeated  the  knocking  quite  vigorously. 
Still  there  was  silence.  He  procured  a  step- 
ladder,  and  peered  down  through  the  open  tran- 
som, only  to  see  that  the  couch  was  unrurnpled 
and  that  the  floor  was  strewn  with  clothing. 
He  observed  that  the  door  of  the  private 
stairway  was  closed  as  usual,  but  instinctively 
he  put  his  hand  into  his  waistcoat  pocket  for 
the  secret  key,  and  missed  it  for  the  first  time. 
His  daughter  had  evidently  made  her  escape 
during  the  night  by  the  concealed  steps  to  the 
street.  Could  there  have  been  collusion  with  the 
servants  ?  He  dismissed  the  idea  at  once.  Only 
one  of  them,  the  new  Swedish  maid,  had  visited 
the  rooms,  and  he  had  always  admitted  her  him- 
self, and  made  sure  that  there  was  no  attempt 
273 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

at  any  communication  between  the  two.  Mrs. 
Severax  had  asked  to  be  excused  to  visit  a  sick 
relative  for  a  day  or  so,  and  could  not  be  sus- 
pected of  any  complicity  in  the  affair.  He  per- 
ceived that  his  daughter  must  have  obtained 
possession  of  the  key  that  he  had  lost,  but  even 
if  she  had  found  it  how  had  she  known  what  to 
do  with  it  ? 

He  was  livid  with  anger.  He  would  have  her 
back  in  his  power  if  it  took  his  last  penny.  She 
should  suffer  for  this  evasion  of  his  will  until 
her  head  should  lie  in  the  dust  at  his  feet.  In- 
capable of  genuine  love  for  the  girl,  the  pride  he 
took  in  her  and  the  ambition  he  cherished  for 
her  now  turned  into  overpowering  hatred  and  a 
desire  for  revenge.  Certain  extensive  financial 
interests  would  be  trembling  in  the  balance  that 
day,  but  he  would  not  attend  to  business  until 
he  had  taken  steps  to  recover  the  runaway  and 
grind  her  will  into  unanswering  submission. 
Even  in  his  fury  he  remembered  that  she  had 
no  hat  nor  cloak  nor  dark  gown  among  the  sup- 
ply of  clothing  that  he  had  allowed  her  to  select 
from  her  wardrobe.  She  could  not  have  gone 

far  in  her  white  gown  and  thin  slippers  that 
274 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

snowy  night.  Probably  her  first  thought  would 
be  of  the  Dudleys,  who  doubtless  had  taken  her 
in,  and  then  she  would  borrow  some  of  Serene's 
clothes  and  make  her  way  to  the  West  woman 
at  Sunnyslope. 

He  congratulated  himself  on  his  shrewdness, 
ordered  his  coupe,  and  proceeded  to  the  Dudley 
residence,  where  he  asked  for  Mrs.  Dudley.  He 
was  sure  as  soon  as  he  saw  that  lady  that  she 
knew  nothing  of  Edyth,  and  so  ventured  to  in- 
quire if  she  were  there,  stating  in  explanation 
that  Edyth  had  started  out  for  a  walk  downtown 
that  morning,  expecting  to  call  for  Serene,  and 
he  had  thought  perhaps  to  intercept  her,  as  he 
was  suddenly  obliged  to  run  up  to  Albany  and 
would  like  to  take  both  of  the  girls  with  him 
for  a  little  jaunt.  Mrs.  Dudley  said  that  Edyth 
had  not  been  there,  and  Serene  was  confined 
to  her  room  by  a  severe  attack  of  influenza. 

This  information  was  somewhat  disconcert- 
ing to  Mr.  Wilsey's  confidence  in  his  ability  a? 
a  detective.  He  took  immediate  leave  and  drove 
to  a  private  detective  bureau,  where  he  was  in 
close  conference  with  the  chief  for  half  an  hour. 

This  man  suggested  that  the  young  lady  would 
275 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

of  course  hire  a  cab,  dressed  as  she  must  have 
been  so  unsuitably  for  the  street,  and  that  she 
must  have  taken  shelter  with  friends. 

"But  she  had  no  friends  in  town,"  said  her 
father,  "except  those  whom  I  have  already 
seen." 

"However,  we  can  tackle  all  the  cabbies  in 
town,"  said  the  detective. 

"And  also  guard  the  New  Haven  waiting 
room  in  the  Grand  Central  station,"  said  Mr. 
Wilsey.  "She  might  venture  to  a  friend  in 
Massachusetts." 

Among  the  second  lot  of  cab-drivers  inter- 
viewed was  the  one  who  had  taken  Edyth  to  the 
Daytons,  but  he  had  gotten  so  jubilantly  intoxi- 
cated on  the  extra  fare  that  he  could  not  tell 
"fur  the  life  uv  him"  where  he  drove  the  night 
before,  although  "shure  it  was  a  side  strate, 
whither  aist  or  wist  he'd  be  blest  if  he  knew, 
an'  she  wuz  a  swate-spoken  young  craythur  in  a 
quare  coat  an'  bunnit." 

An  advertisement  was  put  in  at  a  newspaper 
office,  and  Laurance  Wilsey  turned  his  attention 
to  business  for  a  few  hours.  He  was  threatened 

with  large  losses,  and  his  head  was  racked  with 
276 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

neuralgia,  and  nothing  but  the  desire  of  revenge 
supported  him.  When  he  returned  home  at 
evening  there  was  no  news  from  the  missing  one, 
and  all  night  long  he  walked  the  floor  of  the 
library,  smoking  one  cigar  after  another,  and 
revolving  possible  plans  for  her  discovery  and 
return.  He  finally  threw  himself  on  the  divan 
and  obtained  a  fitful  sleep,  waking  to  listen  for 
the  paper  boy,  and  going  himself  down  to  the 
basement  to  get  the  sheet  damp  from  the  press. 
He  read  and  reread  his  advertisement  with 
much  satisfaction,  and  after  a  light  breakfast 
proceeded  to  the  detective's  office.  There  was 
no  news. 

"It  is  too  early  yet  to  get  any  result  from  that 
ad.,"  said  the  detective,  "but  I  am  sure  that  you 
will  hear  from  it  before  noon." 

Mr.  Wilsey  went  on  down  to  Wall  Street,  and 
almost  forgot  his  domestic  cyclone  in  the  tor- 
nado that  was  swirling  in  the  financial  world. 
About  eleven  o'clock  Eleanor  Lee,  haughty  as 
a  princess,  and  treacherous  to  the  core,  opened 
the  door  of  the  detective's  office  and  approached 
the  desk  with  as  much  composure  as  if  she  were 

on  an  errand  of  mercy.    She  reported  that  if  the 
277 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

missing  young  woman  advertised  in  a  certain 
daily  were  Miss  Wilsey  she  was  even  then  stop- 
ping with  a  Mrs.  Walthope  at  Silver  Birch. 

"We  will  go  out  there  at  once,"  said  the  man, 
"but  can  you  tell  us  how  we  may  get  access  to 
the  young  lady  ?" 

Eleanor  thought  a  moment.  "I  will  try  to 
induce  her  to  take  a  sleigh  ride  with  me  at  two- 
thirty,"  she  said.  "If  1  fail  you  must  arrange 
a  better  plan.  I  will  have  a  bow  of  red  ribbon 
tied  in  the  center  of  the  dashboard." 

Accustomed  as  was  the  detective  to  human 
nature  at  its  shrewdest,  meanest,  and  wickedest, 
he  was  aghast  at  the  action  of  this  stranger. 
Something  of  his  contempt  for  her  looked  out 
from  his  eyes  and  crowded  into  his  voice  as  he 
said,  "We  will  depend  on  you,  miss.  Drive 
around  by  the  railway  station.  When  the  run- 
away is  safe  in  her  father's  possession  you  may 
call  on  me  for  the  reward." 

Eleanor  was  stung  by  his  expression  and  tone. 
"I  feel  that  I  am  doing  a  praiseworthy  action," 
said  she.  "Miss  Wilsey  is  not  of  age.  She  has 
a  kind  and  generous  father.  She  should  stay 

quietly  in  her  home  and  obey  him." 

278 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"Ah,  then  we  are  to  understand  that  you  act 
purely  on  high  moral  grounds,"  said  the  chief, 
"and  that  you  repudiate  any  reward  for  your 
valuable  services." 

Eleanor  seemed  to  see  the  two  thousand  dol- 
lars slipping  from  her  eager  grasp.  The  office 
furniture  appeared  to  whirl  around  her.  She 
steadied  herself  with  one  hand  on  the  doorknob, 
and  said  huskily : 

"No,  I  shall  claim  the  money." 

"Well,  it  takes  all  sorts  to  make  up  a  world," 
said  the  detective  aloud  to  himself  as  the  door 
closed  behind  her. 

Eleanor  hated  Edyth,  but  she  hated  herself 
still  more.  She  had  showed  herself  capable  of 
a  despicable  action.  She  had  committed  a  crime 
against  her  own  self-respect,  and  had  become  a 
sister  to  traitors  in  all  ages.  But  the  money, 
the  money!  How  much  it  meant  to  her  of 
luxury  and  travel  and  conquest  and  love  and 
social  advantage!  She  stifled  her  outraged 
conscience  with  thoughts  of  the  Mediterranean 
trip,  now  an  assured  delight  in  all  probability. 
She  stopped  in  at  a  department  store,  and  se- 
lected the  dress  goods  for  Edyth  and  the  neces- 
279 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

sary  findings.  Then  she  returned  to  her  aunt's 
home  in  time  for  the  one  o'clock  luncheon.  She 
was  very  gay  at  the  table,  almost  hilarious,  and 
particularly  kind  and  attentive  in  her  bearing 
toward  Edyth. 

"Auntie,"  she  said,  as  the  meal  progressed, 
"cannot  we  bundle  up  this  refugee  of  ours,  and 
get  her  out  for  a  ride  in  the  double  sleigh  ?  It 
would  do  her  lots  of  good,  and  yourself  too." 

"I  can't  go,"  replied  Mrs.  Walthope,  "as  I 
have  to  attend  a  managers'  meeting  in  town, 
but  you  may  have  the  cutter  and  drive.  Will 
you  trust  Eleanor's  horsemanship,  Miss  Wilsey  ? 
She's  a  little  inclined  to  be  reckless." 

"Do  you  think  it  is  safe  for  me  to  be  seen?" 
questioned  Edyth.  "I  am  more  afraid  of  being 
captured  than  I  am  of  Eleanor's  driving." 

"I  think  you  will  run  no  risk,  my  dear,  in  this 
place,  especially  if  you  are  well  veiled." 

Edyth  was  longing  for  the  crisp,  stimulating, 
outdoor  air,  and  was  quite  willing  to  be  persuad- 
ed to  get  ready  for  the  drive.  Eleanor  had  a 
flaming  spot  on  each  cheek,  and  her  voice  was 
unnaturally  high,  but  no  one  remarked  her 

nervous  manner.     It  was  just  about  half  past 
280 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

two  when  they  left  the  house  and  drove  down 
the  avenue  at  a  spirited  rate. 

"This  is  delicious !"  said  poor  Edyth,  taking 
deep  breaths  of  the  bracing  air. 

They  drove  toward  the  station,  and  Eleanor 
•observed  a  coach  containing  two  gentlemen 
fall  in  behind  them.  She  headed  her  horse  to- 
ward a  somewhat  unfrequented  drive  that  led 
through  a  long  stretch  of  woods,  and  having 
gone  about  a  mile,  she  stopped  the  animal,  and 
said  to  her  companion : 

"I  want  to  see  if  there  are  any  bittersweet 
berries  left  on  the  old  stone  wall  just  beyond 
those  evergreens.  There  were  bushels  of  it  there 
last  month.  If  you  will  kindly  hold  Prancer  I 
will  plod  over  there  with  my  basket  and  scissors. 
I  want  to  paint  a  panel  of  it  for  a  Christmas 
gift." 

Eleanor  had  worn  her  rubber  boots,  and  en- 
joyed wading  through  the  snow.  She  was  soon 
out  of  sight  beyond  the  thick,  tangled  bushes 
and  low-growing  tree  branches.  The  coach,  that 
had  kept  the  cutter  in  sight  all  the  way,  now 
caught  up  to  it.  The  road  was  not  wide  enough 

for  the  coach  to  pass,  and  Edyth  called  to  Elea- 
281 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

nor  to  return,  but  the  latter  seemed  to  have  lost 
her  hearing.  The  driver  uttered  some  exclama- 
tion of  annoyance,  but  Edyth  felt  no  fear  until 
the  coach  door  opened  and  two  men  in  citizens' 
clothes  approached  her.  Evidently  they  did  not 
enjoy  their  errand.  The  foremost  spoke  respect- 
fully and  even  kindly.  He  said : 

"Miss  Wilsey,  we  are  obliged  to  ask  you  to  go 
with  us.  We  represent  your  father.  It  will  be 
useless  for  you  to  object  or  resist.  If  you  will 
come  quietly  with  us  we  will  treat  you  with 
courtesy,  and  set  you  down  at  the  door  of  your 
home." 

As  the  man  spoke  Edyth  saw  a  detective's 
badge,  which  he  took  pains  to  reveal  on  the 
breast  of  his  inner  coat.  She  stepped  down  from 
the  sleigh,  and  then  said  quietly : 

"Please  call  my  friend.  She  will  be  alarmed 
if  she  returns  and  does  not  see  me.  Besides, 
some  harm  might  come  to  the  horse,  who  does 
not  stand  well  to-day." 

At  the  halloo  of  one  of  the  men  Eleanor  came 
running  in  time  to  see  a  stranger  holding  her 
aunt's  horse,  while  Edyth  was  being  assisted  into 

the  coach  by  the  other  man. 
282 


THE  KIXG'S  GOLD 

"What  does  this  mean?"  she  cried,  with  fine 
show  of  affright  and  indignation. 

"Edyth,  dear/'  she  called,  rushing  to  the  door 
of  the  carriage,  "what  is  it  ?" 

"Don't  worry,  Mel,"  replied  Edyth.  "My 
father's  agents  have  gotten  on  my  track,  and 
will  take  me  back  to  him.  Give  my  love  to  your 
aunt,  and  tell  her  that  I  hope  sometime  to  thank 
her  in  person  for  her  goodness." 

Eleanor  stepped  into  the  cutter  and  took  the 
lines  from  the  hand  of  the  detective.  He  peered 
into  her  face  as  she  received  them. 

"Well !"  said  she,  tersely. 

"I  was  only  thinkin',"  said  the  man,  "that  the 
race  of  Judas  ain't  all  run  out  yet !" 

Eleanor's  horse  leaped  forward  under  an  un- 
necessary lash  of  the  whip,  and  she  drove  furi- 
ously on  to  the  next  village  before  she  turned 
toward  home.  The  coach  retraced  its  way  to  the 
highway  that  led  to  the  city,  and  in  the  early 
twilight  of  the  short  winter  day  Edyth  was 
escorted  up  the  steps  of  her  home,  and  only  left 
at  the  door  when  it  was  opened  by  Laurance 
Wilsey  himself,  who  took  his  daughter  by  the 

arm  with  no  gentle  grip,  and  half  carried  her 
283 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

into  the  library.  •  He  thrust  her  into  a  chair, 
and  bent  over  her,  his  hands  in  his  pockets, 
while  he  stared  down  at  her  with  malignant 
triumph  on  every  feature. 

"If  you  had  gone  to  hell/'  he  hissed,  "I  would 
have  found  you  and  brought  you  back." 

Involuntarily,  Edyth  closed  her  eyes  to  shut 
out  the  sight  of  his  cruel,  passion-distorted  face. 
She  almost  felt  that  he  might  kill  her.  He  arose 
to  his  full,  towering  height,  and  turned  to  pace 
the  room  in  his  usual  fashion.  He  was  so  en- 
raged that  he  could  not  utter  the  scathing  words 
that  rushed  to  his  lips.  At  length  he  gained 
some  mastery  over  the  physical  effects  of  his 
wrath,  and  took  a  chair  directly  in  front  of 
Edyth.  He  was  rejoiced  to  see  that  she  shrank 
from  him. 

The  drive  home  had  been  fraught  with  in- 
tense mental  agitation  for  Edyth.  Somehow, 
God  did  not  seem  quite  so  real  to  her,  now  that 
she  was  being  carried  back  a  prisoner,  as  he  did 
a  few  nights  before  when  she  found  the  key 
and  made  her  escape  so  marvelously.  She  had 
believed  that  the  whole  matter  of  the  key  was 

of  him  in  answer  to  prayer ;  but  if  so,  then  why 
284 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

had  her  father  been  allowed  to  regain  possession 
of  her?  Why  had  not  God  preserved  her  from 
detection  and  capture?  It  had  been  easy  to 
trust  him  when  she  lay  so  quietly  and  securely 
in  Jeanie  Campbell's  white,  sweet  guest-cham- 
ber, or  while  she  conversed  with  Mrs.  Walthope 
in  her  comfortable  out-of-town  home ;  but  mat- 
ters looked  different  now.  Edyth's  spiritual 
life  was  yet  a  tender  plant,  and  it  was  no  wonder 
that  her  faith  swayed  and  bent  for  a  little  under 
the  powerful  breath  of  the  enemy.  The  old 
temptation  that  she  thought  was  entirely  ban- 
ished and  outlived  now  swept  down  upon  her 
in  her  weariness  and  disappointment.  Surely 
she  had  done  her  best  to  maintain  her  loyalty  to 
Christ,  but  of  what  avail  had  been  the  painful 
opposition  to  her  father?  Perhaps  she  had 
made  a  mistake  in  running  away,  and  yet  she 
had  been  so  sure  at  the  time  that  God  made  the 
way  for  her  to  escape.  She  felt  perplexed  and 
depressed.  Just  then  the  words  of  Jesus  to 
Peter,  that  Mr.  Campbell  had  read  and  com- 
mented upon  at  family  devotions  on  Friday 
morning,  shone  in  upon  her  darkness:  "Satan 

hath  desired  to  have  you,  that  he  may  sift  you 
19  285 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

as  wheat :  but  I  have  prayed  for  thee,  that  thy 
faith  fail  not."  She  could  see  now  just  where 
she  stood,  exposed  by  circumstances  to  the  at- 
tack of  a  subtle  and  determined  foe,  who  was 
endeavoring  to  undermine  the  foundations  of 
her  confidence  and  strength  by  instilling  these 
doubts  into  her  mind.  On  the  other  hand,  she 
was  assured  that  the  mountains  of  trouble  were 
full  of  horses  and  chariots  of  defense  and  de- 
liverance. By  the  time  the  coach  had  reached 
her  home  her  soul  had  regained  its  deep,  fear- 
less, blissful  calm  in  God  the  Rock  of  her  salva- 
tion. 

"I  will  take  you  into  my  confidence,"  said 
Mr.  Wilsey.  "I  will  not  insist  upon  your  re- 
maining in  this  hovel  that  I  provided  for  you. 
I  have  arranged  for  a  more  desirable  residence 
for  you.  We  shall  leave  here  to-morrow  after- 
noon at  five  o'clock.  You  will  have  nothing  to 
do  in  your  new  home  but  to  meditate  on  the 
past,  present,  and  future,  with  no  interruptions 
except  such  as  come  from  the  sight  and  sound 
of  persons  more  unbalanced  than  yourself.  You 
will  not  need  any  of  your  Paris  gowns.  The 

most  fashionable  and  popular  garment  of  the 
286 


THE  KIXG'S  GOLD 

place  is  a  jaunty  little  jacket  that  will  be  pro- 
vided for  you.  You  may  leave  your  ornaments 
at  home.  No  jewelry  is  worn  there  except  brace- 
lets, which  are  furnished  by  the  host,  and  good 
of  their  kind.  You  will  observe  some  difference 
in  the  food  from  that  on  my  meager  board.  The 
place  may  seem  a  trifle  monotonous,  and  there 
will  be  slight  difficulties  in  the  way  of  leaving  it, 
as  it  is  so  well  defended  from  burglars  that  the 
bolts  and  bars  sometimes  interfere  with  the 
liberties  of  the  inmates.  You  will  have  a 
key,  however,  that  will  at  any  time  allow  you 
to  take  your  departure.  The  key  is  a  word  of 
three  letters,  'Y-e-s,'  and  when  you  are  entirely 
ready  to  conform  to  my  ways  and  my  will  that 
word,  when  it  meets  my  eyes,  will  bring  you 
back." 

Edyth  had  listened  as  one  in  a  dream.  She 
knew  that  the  horrible  prospect  had  not  been 
exaggerated  by  her  father,  and  yet  his  state- 
ments did  not  disturb  her  in  the  least.  She  was 
listening  to  other  words,  spoken  to  her  mind  and 
heart.  It  was  the  same  blessed  refrain  that  had 
sung  itself  to  her  the  night  of  her  escape :  "Thy 

God  is  able  to  deliver  thee." 
287 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

Her  father  paused  to  watch  the  effect  of  his 
threatening,  but  she  sat  with  her  eyes  shut,  evi- 
dently unmoved.  Enraged  at  her  composure, 
and  moved  by  a  brutal  impulse,  he  struck  her 
with  his  palm  full  on  the  side  of  the  cheek. 
She  opened  her  eyes  then,  but  there  was  no 
anger,  only  divine  pity  in  their  clear  depths, 
and  his  soul  cowered  before  them.  "You  may 
go  to  your  old  rooms,"  he  said,  gruffly.  "I  mean 
your  own,  up  stairs."  Edyth  was  glad  to  have 
an  opportunity  to  spend  another  night  in  the 
daintily  appointed  suite  that  had  so  perfectly 
expressed  her  personal  tastes. 

Her  father  followed  her  up  the  staircase, 
and  locked  her  in,  but  she  did  not  mind  the 
confinement.  She  was  glad  to  kneel  unobserved 
and  thank  God  for  his  sustaining  arm  and  his 
glorious  promise  of  guidance  and'  succor.  When 
a  tray  of  palatable  food  was  brought  to  the 
door  she  was  busily  engaged  in  sorting  her  cloth- 
ing, and  deciding  what  to  pack  for  the  morrow. 
She  fully  expected  to  go  forth  never  to  return. 

That  night  Laurance  Wilsey's  soul  was  re- 
quired of  him.  With  his  nerves  starving  for 

sleep  and  unable  to  obtain  it,  he  poured  out  a 

288 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

dose  of  his  favorite  cordial,  dropping  in  an 
anodyne  with  a  less  steady  hand  than  usual. 
Sleep  came  surely,  but  it  was  a  sleep  that  before 
the  next  noon  had  set  the  whole  house  into  a 
solemn  and  awful  commotion.  Edyth,  who 
awoke  late,  was  surprised  at  the  stillness,  and 
also  wondered  as  the  hours  dragged  by  that  no 
one  came  with  her  breakfast.  It  was  nearly 
twelve  o'clock  when  she  heard  a  stir  in  the  hall 
near  her  door.  Her  father's  sleeping  room  was 
opposite  to  hers.  The  housekeeper  was  holding 
a  conversation  with  the  butler  at  her  father's 
door. 

"Knock  again,"  Edyth  heard  her  say.  "Don't 
be  afraid  of  making  a  noise.  Mr.  Wilsey  is  an 
early  riser  usually." 

Edyth  called  through  the  keyhole  of  her  own 
door,  hoping  to  catch  the  ear  of  the  housekeeper, 
"Mallison,  Mallison !" 

Mrs.  Mallison  started  at  the  sound. 

"Please  turn  the  key  in  this  door,"  cried 
Edyth. 

"Well,  there's  a  strange  state  of  things  in  this 
house,"  said  the  housekeeper,  "and  no  mistake. 

I  wish  I  was  well  out  of  it,  indeed  I  do !" 
289 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

A  moment  more,  and  Edyth  was  released  and 
stood  on  the  threshold  of  her  room,  saying, 
"What  is  the  matter?" 

"It's  your  father,  miss,"  said  the  butler,  bow- 
ing respectfully.  "He  ain't  put  in  no  happear- 
ance  this  mornin',  miss." 

"Is  it  late?" 

"It's  near  'igh  noon,  miss." 

Edyth  stepped  forward  and  rapped  on  the 
closed  door,  but  there  was  no  reply.  She  tried 
the  knob  gently,  and  the  door  opened  slightly. 

"Now  call  him,  Jarvis,"  she  said  to  the  butler. 

"Mr.  Wilsey,  sir!"  said  the  butler,  in  his 
heavy  tone. 

As  there  was  no  response  Edyth  asked  the 
man  to  enter  the  room  and  see  if  his  master 
were  ill.  Jarvis  tiptoed  across  the  sill,  and  ad- 
vanced silently  to  the  bedside.  Edyth  followed 
him  at  a  little  distance.  The  butler  bent  over 
the  rigid  form. 

"He  don't  seem  to  be  breathin',  miss !"  he 
said,  in  an  awe-struck  whisper. 

Edyth  went  to  a  window,  pulled  aside  the 
draperies,  and  gave  the  shade  a  pull  that  sent 

it  suddenly  up  to  the  top  of  the  casement.  Then 
290 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

she  stepped  to  the  bed,  gave  one  swift  look  at 
the  sleeper,  and  sank  on  her  knees  with  her  face 
buried  in  her  hands.  Even  to  her  inexperienced 
eyes  there  was  no  mistaking  the  terrible  fact. 
Laurance  Wilsey,  lying  with  clenched,  motion- 
less hands,  and  with  the  sin  and  selfishness  and 
hatred  of  his  soul  stamped  by  the  seal  of  death 
on  his  features,  was  an  object  too  terrible  to 
contemplate. 

"Shall  I  get  the  doctor,  miss  ?"  said  the  but- 
ler, gently. 

.  "Yes,"  said  Edyth,  "immediately,  although  I 
am  sure  it  is  too  late." 

She  could  not  bear  to  stay  in  that  presence, 
and  closing  the  door  behind  her,  sat  down  near 
it  in  the  hall. 

"Where  is  Mrs.  Severax?"  she  asked  of  the 
housekeeper. 

"Been  gone  on  a  visit  since  Thursday  morn- 
ing," replied  Mrs.  Mallison. 

The  maids  were  whispering  together  at  the  far 
end  of  the  hall.  Edyth  was  too  dazed  to  realize 
the  situation,  but  she  felt  that  she  must  have 
some  one  with  her  besides  servants,  and  when 

the  butler  returned  she  sent  him  with  two  mes- 
291 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

sages  to  the  telegraph  office.  One  was  to  the 
Eev.  Charles  Dayton,  and  the  other  to  Miss 
Helen  West.  They  read  alike:  "My  father  is 
dead.  Come  to  me." 

The  physician  soon  arrived.  He  told  Edyth 
a  half  hour  later  that  her  father  had  doubtless 
been  the  victim  of  an  unsuspected  heart  trouble. 

Until  Mr.  Dayton  came  that  afternoon  Edyth 
was  in  great  agony  of  mind.  She  feared  that 
her  resistance  to  her  father's  will,  and  the  in- 
tense excitement  he  had  labored  under  during 
her  absence,  had  been  the  cause  of  his  death. 
When  Mr.  Dayton's  card  was  brought  up  to  her 
she  went  down  to  the  library  to  meet  him,  and 
told  him  amid  her  sobs  of  the  burden  that  lay 
upon  her. 

"Miss  Wilsey,"  said  he,  "have  you  done  just 
as  nearly  right  as  you  knew  ?" 

"Yes,  Mr.  Dayton,  I  certainly  have." 

"Then  can  you  not  leave  all  the  results  with 
God?" 

"I  think  I  can,"  she  replied,  "but  0,  it  is  so 
dreadful  if  I  hastened  my  father  out  of  the 
world !" 

"But  that  is  the  very  point  I  wish  you  to 
292 


THE  KIXG'S  GOLD 

abandon  entirely/'  said  he.  "Your  father's  own 
violent  anger  was  doubtless  the  means  of  aggra- 
vating his  heart  difficulty  to  the  fatal  point. 
That  your  course  aroused  that  anger  is  not  say- 
ing by  any  means  that  your  position  was  a 
wrong  one." 

She  grew  calmer  as  he  talked  with  her,  and 
when  he  left  her  after  a  few  comforting  words 
of  prayer  it  was  with  the  promise  that  he  would 
send  his  wife  to  stay  that  night.  Edyth  sent 
the  minister  home  in  the  coupe,  and  insisted  on 
having  Mrs.  Dayton  return  in  it,  even  though 
she  had  to  bring  the  baby.  The  library  had  be- 
come a  place  of  unspeakably  painful  memories, 
so  it  was  in  her  own  little  sitting  room  that  she 
received  Mrs.  Dayton  and  her  two-year-old 
Katy.  They  talked  long  over  the  fire,  while 
Katy  slept  on  the  couch,  and  both  looked  for- 
ward to  the  morrow,  knowing  that  it  would 
probably  bring  Helen  West.  Mrs.  Dayton  then 
told  Edyth  for  the  first  time  of  Helen's  pathetic 
love  story,  and  Edyth  for  a  time  forgot  the 
tragedy  in  her  own  home  as  she  listened  to  the 
romance  of  the  brilliant  young  missionary  and 

the  lost  ship. 

293 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"Dear,  brave,  lonely  Aunt  Helen !"  she  said. 
"We  will  be  everything  to  each  other  now !" 

Mrs.  Dudley  came  the  next  morning,  nervous 
and  tearful,  with  offers  of  any  service  she  could 
render.  Mrs.  Walthope,  too,  appeared  on  the 
scene.  They  had  both  read  the  death  notice  in 
the  morning  paper.  Edyth  inquired  for  Elea- 
nor, but  found  that  she  had  left  that  very  day  by 
the  first  express  for  Baltimore.  Eleanor  had 
announced  to  her  aunt  her  intention  of  taking 
that  train,  but  even  while  Mrs.  Walthope  talked 
with  Edyth,  Eleanor  was  leaving  the  detective's 
office  with  her  ill-gotten  treasure. 

Edyth's  callers  had  gone  home,  when  a  car- 
riage stopped  at  the  house,  and  from  a  front 
window  Edyth  saw  the  calm,  beautiful,  loving 
face  of  her  aunt.  She  ran  down  the  long  stairs, 
brushed  against  the  amazed  butler,  who  thought 
that  she  was  surely  becoming  crazed  with  grief, 
and  opened  the  door  herself  for  the  beloved  one. 
It  was  a  memorable  meeting. 

"We  will  never,  never  get  talked  out !"  said 
Edyth,  an  hour  or  two  later,  as  she  sat  on  an 
ottoman  at  her  aunt's  feet  in  the  guest-chamber. 

"It  is  very  sweet  to  be  together,  even  under 
294 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

such  sad  circumstances,''  said  Miss  West.  "I 
have  almost  a  guilty  feeling,  however,  as  if  we 
were  meeting  secretly  for  fear  of  your  father's 
displeasure." 

But  that  cold,  silent  form  in  the  drawing- 
room  was  impotent  now  for  good  or  ill.  He  had 
been  the  servant  of  Mammon  for  many  years, 
yet  he  lay  at  last  with  empty  hands,  powerless 
to  control  a  farthing  of  his  earthly  gains,  with 
no  account  in  the  bank  of  heaven,  and  naught 
to  show  for  the  opportunity  of  life  but  the  hard- 
earned  wage — death;  a  pitiable  reward  to  a 
slave  for  his  toil  beneath  the  lash  of  an  unmerci- 
ful master. 

295 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 


CHAPTEE  X 

MR.  WILSEY'S  funeral,  in  accordance  with 
Edyth's  wishes,  was  entirely  private.  A  succes- 
sion of  cold,  snowy  days  followed,  and  Edyth 
would  have  been  glad  to  spend  them  in  quiet 
interchange  of  confidence  and  in  sweet  com- 
munion with  her  Aunt  Helen ;  but  business  mat- 
ters intruded  and  clamored  for  attention.  The 
will  had  been  lodged  in  a  box  in  a  safe-deposit 
vault  with  the  knowledge  of  Mr.  Wilsey's  law- 
yers, and  on  being  produced  disclosed  the  fact 
that  Edyth  was  heir  to  a  large  estate  consisting 
principally  of  valuable  mining  and  railroad 
stocks  and  government  bonds,  besides  the  new 
home  and  several  other  pieces  of  real  estate  of 
great  value.  The  will  was  dated  on  the  day 
before  Mr.  Wilsey  and  his  daughter  had  moved 
into  their  mansion  on  the  Park,  and  as  Edyth 
was  then  under  age  she  was  permitted  to  choose 
a  guardian  subject  to  the  approval  of  the  law 
firm  who  conducted  her  father's  business.  Hap- 
pily, these  gentlemen  Avere  not  at  variance  with 

her  choice  of  the  Rev.  Charles  Dayton.    Edyth 
29G 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

was  surprised  that  her  father  had  not  disinherit- 
ed her,  but  the  fact  was  he  expected  to  reduce 
her  to  obedience  in  a  short  time  in  the  surround- 
ings that  he  had  planned  for  her,  and  so  had  not 
resorted  to  the  final  threat  of  depriving  her  of 
any  share  of  his  fortune. 

One  evening,  when  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dayton  had 
been  taking  dinner  with  Miss  West  and  Edyth, 
Mr.  Dayton  said,  as  they  sat  in  the  drawing- 
room  together : 

"Miss  Wilsey,  now  that  your  father  has  passed 
out  from  your  life,  and  you  are  virtually  your 
own  mistress,  may  I  ask  if  you  have  any  plans 
for  the  future?" 

"My  first  thought,"  said  Edyth,  as  she  held 
the  hand  of  her  aunt,  who  sat  beside  her  on  a 
sofa,  "is  that  Aunt  Helen  must  remain  with 
me.  As  for  any  definite  purpose  in  life,  I  am 
thankful  that  I  have  one,  as  clear  as  a  sunbeam. 
Perhaps  this  is  a  good  opportunity  to  tell  you 
all  about  it.  That  is  one  thing  I  have  kept  to 
myself,  dear,"  she  said,  smilingly,  to  Miss  West. 
"I  have  had  a  'call,'  as  you  ministers  say,  to  a 
beautiful  work,  a  call  from  the  edge  of  the 

grave,  that  roused  me  from  my  timidity  and 
297 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

hesitation  toward  Christ  to  a  positive  declara- 
tion of  love  and  loyalty." 

Then  Edyth  told  them  the  story  of  Charlotte 
Henson,  and  repeated  her  dying  message, 
"There  are  lots  of  girls  like  me." 

"That  is  my  commission,"  said  Edyth,  "for 
it  was  Christ  who  spoke  to  m}'  very  soul  through 
those  poor,  pale  lips.  I  have  not  yet  thought 
out  just  the  course  to  pursue,  but  I  want  to 
lay  all  that  I  have  at  the  feet  of  the  Master. 
Of  one  thing  I  am  certain.  He  would  not  have 
me  live  in  a  palace  afar  from  the  'girls.'  I 
have  no  love  for  this  house,  where  I  have  suffered 
so  terribly.  My  plan  is  to  take  Aunt  Helen,  if 
she  will  consent,  and  go  among  those  whom  I 
would  help.  I  shall  depend  on  you  all  for  ad- 
vice." 

The  Daytons  and  Miss  West  were  deeply 
moved  by  the  story  of  the  sewing  girl,  as  well 
as  by  Edyth's  enthusiastic  and  definite  purpose, 
and  now  that  she  had  outlined  her  future  there 
was  no  lack  of  suggestive  material  for  conversa- 
tion. 

Mrs.  Dudley  heard  of  a  family  just  returned 

from  abroad  who  were  looking  for  a  suitable 
298 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

furnished  house,  and  Edyth,  having  disposed  of 
several  pictures  and  much  bric-a-brac,  stored 
such  articles  as  she  wished  to  retain  for  herself, 
and  rented  her  home  at  figures  that  would 
have  secured  her  an  ample  income  even  with  no 
other  resources.  She  then  took  rooms  in  a  hotel 
for  Miss  West  and  herself  until  she  could  select 
just  the  right  location  in  which  to  work  out  her 
cherished  scheme.  Just  before  the  holidays 
she  accompanied  her  aunt  to  Sunnyslope,  where 
the  latter  completed  her  arrangements  for  leav- 
ing the  place  indefinitely.  The  family  in  the 
homestead  were  willing  to  remain  there,  and 
Helen's  two  rooms  were  to  be  at  her  disposal 
at  any  time.  Edyth  was  intensely  interested  in 
these  few  days  spent  in  her  mother's  old  home. 
Her  aunt  and  herself  never  ceased  to  wonder 
at  the  strange  leadings  of  Providence  that  had 
brought  them  together.  Miss  "West  threw  her 
whole  heart  into  Edyth's  plans,  although  her 
own  peaceful  life  was  to  be  entirely  revolution- 
ized and  her  refined  tastes  sacrificed  to  the 
cause. 

Edyth  had  parted  from  the  Dudleys  without 

confiding  her  purposes  to  them,  so  that  no  one 
299 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

but  the  Daytons  and  Miss  West  knew  what  had 
become  of  her.  The  incident  of  her  father's 
death  caused  but  a  ripple  on  the  social  sea,  where 
the  Wilseys  had  made  but  a  brief  appearance. 
Edyth  met  Kylmer  Van  Eoss  on  Broadway  one 
day,  but  vouchsafed  no  look  of  recognition,  and 
passed  by  him  with  renewed  gratitude  that  she 
had  been  spared  so  wretched  an  alliance.  With 
Miss  West  she  made  numerous  observation 
tours  downtown  and  over  on  the  East  Side  of  the 
city,  and  finally  secured  on  a  side  street  the 
second  floor  of  a  house  that  had  once  been  a 
fashionable  mansion,  and  that  still  retained  evi- 
dences of  its  former  estate  in  its  brownstone 
trimmings  and  some  fine  old  carvings,  marble 
mantels,  and  high  ceilings.  Who  can  observe 
the  decay  of  a  once  splendid  family  residence 
without  feelings  of  pain  akin  to  that  with  which 
we  look  upon  the  wrinkled  visage,  bowed  form, 
and  mean  attire,  and  listen  to  the  cracked,  pip- 
ing voice  of  a  woman  who  was  once  the  lovely 
and  adored  prima  donna  of  a  past  generation, 
now  dying  in  poverty  and  neglect?  Such  are 
the  changes  in  our  great  cities  that  many  a 

man  or  woman  now  a  little  past  middle  life, 
300 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

if  they  revisit  the  scenes  of  their  happy  child- 
hood, find  the  once  quiet  streets  swarming  with 
gamin,  and  littered  with  barrels  of  refuse.  Di- 
sheveled heads  and  swarthy,  foreign-looking 
faces  protrude  from  window  casements,  the  air 
reeks  with  vile  odors  and  is  vocal  with  strange 
gibberish,  while  open  doorways  on  either  side  re- 
veal discolored  walls  and  dilapidated  staircases, 
so  completely  has  many  a  lovely  old  neighbor- 
hood been  swept  over  and  wrecked  by  the  great, 
swelling  tides  of  immigration,  the  original  deni- 
zens fleeing  before  them  for  sweetness  and  peace. 
The  house  selected  by  Miss  West  and  Edyth 
for  their  experiment  was  a  corner  one,  occupied 
in  the  basement  front  as  a  German  grocery, 
the  proprietor  living  in  the  rear  rooms  with  his 
numerous  family.  What  had  originally  been  the 
parlor  floor  was  subdivided  into  several  small 
rents  and  was  let  to  a  Hebrew  tailor,  a  teacher 
of  the  accordion,  a  fortune-teller,  and  a  dealer  in 
third-hand  sewing  machines.  All  kept  house  in 
their  one  room ;  some  had  children  and  dogs  and 
cats,  others  took  boarders.  The  atmosphere  was 
laden  with  the  mingled  odors  of  tobacco,  sauer- 
kraut, fried  pork,  and  unwashed  humanity. 
20  301 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

For  blocks  arpund,  the  houses  were  in  similar 
condition,  and  Edyth  had  special  reasons  for 
choosing  this  one,  aside  from  the  possibilities 
of  comfort  that  lurked  in  the  upper  rooms.  The 
house  was  not  far  from  one  where  she  had  ap- 
plied for  employment  as  a  dressmaker's  assist- 
ant. It  was  also  in  the  vicinity  of  a  mission 
chapel  established  by  an  uptown  church.  Edyth 
had  enjoyed  furnishing  the  magnificent  house 
on  the  Park,  where  she  had  expected  to  spend 
many  happy  years,  but  her  pleasure  then  was 
nothing  in  comparison  to  the  delight  that  she 
now  experienced  in  evolving  cleanliness  and 
beauty  from  the  almost  hopeless  conditions  at 
hand.  Miss  West  and  herself  had  interviewed 
the  burly  agent  in  his  den  hard  by,  and  had  been 
obliged  to  explain  that  they  wished  to  obtain 
the  rooms  for  purposes  philanthropic,  for  he 
evidently  found  it  difficult  to  understand  why 
two  such  persons  could  wish  to  settle  in  that 
locality.  They  received  his  permission  to  make 
numerous  improvements  in  the  line  of  paint  and 
paper  at  their  own  expense,  and  he  even  con- 
sented to  considerable  carpenter  work  and 

plumbing  on  the  same  terms.     It  was  difficult 
302 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

for  Edyth  to  play  the  role  of  the  poor  but  neat 
person. 

"There  is  one  thing  that  we  can  revel  in 
without  displaying  our  lack  of  poverty,"  she 
remarked  to  her  aunt.  "We  can  he  extrava- 
gantly, luxuriously,  gloriously  clean !" 

"You  forget,  dear,"  replied  Miss  West,  "that 
even  cleanliness  is  a  luxury  beyond  the  reach 
of  the  very  poor.  Soap  is  expensive,  and  even 
water  must  in  many  houses  be  carried  up  and 
down  long  flights  of  stairs." 

With  the  exception  of  the  front  alcove  room, 
the  large  old  apartments  on  the  second  floor  had 
never  been  partitioned  off,  and  though  connect- 
ing doors  had  been  nailed  up,  they  had  not  been 
removed  and  the  spaces  walled  in  as  is  some- 
times the  case.  The  rooms  had  never  been  sub- 
jected to  such  an  overhauling  as  they  received 
at  the  hands  of  workmen  under  Edyth's  super- 
vision. They  were  fumigated  and  scraped  and 
polished,  the  woodwork  refreshed  with  two 
coats  of  glistening  cream-white  paint,  and  the 
walls  hung  with  the  daintiest  of  wall  papers. 
Broken  panes  were  replaced  in  the  broad  win- 
dows, and  as  the  house  was  on  a  corner,  with  a 
303 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

south  and  west  exposure,  the  rooms  had  all  the 
sunlight  they  could  hold. 

"Now  to  furnish  plainly  enough,  auntie/' 
said  Edyth,  "is  a  problem." 

They  went  on  numerous  shopping  expeditions 
to  some  of  the  downtown  department  stores, 
and  selected  mattings  and  small  ingrain  rugs 
for  the  floors.  The  windows  were  hung  with 
simple  muslin  curtains,  not  too  fine,  but  im- 
maculate in  their  whiteness.  They  bought  a 
cottage  organ,  a  carpet-covered  lounge,  a  cheap 
bookcase,  and  a  large  stove  for  the  front  room, 
but  fell  beneath  their  high  ideals  of  destitution 
by  adding  two  very  comfortable  high-backed 
rockers.  The  two  little  beds  for  the  sleeping 
room  which  they  were  to  share  together  were 
fitted  with  the  most  comfortable  of  mattresses 
and  the  nicest  of  linen. 

"That  can't  affect  the  scheme,"  said  Edyth. 

"And  it  will  affect  us,"  said  her  aunt,  "and 
help  us  to  be  more  useful  in  the  daytime,  by 
giving  us  better  rest  at  night." 

They  offset  the  hidden  luxuriousness  of  the 
beds,  however,  by  the  purchase  of  a  conspicuous- 
ly cheap  bureau  of  ash,  with  a  small  mirror 
304 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

that  would  have  distorted  the  features  of  even 
Helen  of  Troy,  and  with  handles  that  were  al- 
ways coming  off. 

"That  bureau  can  be  set  down  against  the  sum 
total  of  all  our  extravagances  during  our  mortal 
career,"  said  Edyth,  "and  we  will  be  clear.'' 

We  will  not  follow  all  their  effective  devices 
for  giving  a  homelike  air  to  their  temporary 
quarters.  Helen  particularly  rejoiced  in  a 
lavish  display  of  beautiful  potted  plants,  and 
started  a  glossy  green  ivy  on  a  journey  up  one 
of  the  window  casings.  When  the  bookcase  was 
filled  with  favorites,  and  a  few  neatly  framed 
photographs  hung  on  the  walls,  and  a  canary 
trilled  in  his  cage  over  Helen's  pretty  worktable, 
it  was  not  difficult  for  our  two  friends  to  feel 
that  they  could  be  content  for  a  season  even 
amid  such  sounds  as  arose  from  the  motley 
crowd  below. 

"It  suggests  what  Noah's  household  must 
have  endured  in  the  ark,  doesn't  it  ?"  said  Edyth 
one  day  when  they  were  getting  settled.  "It  is 
hard  for  you,  auntie,  dear;  but  it  was  so  lovely 
of  you  to  consent  to  come  here  with  me,  for,  of 

course,  I  could  never  have  attempted  it  alone.'' 
305 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"But  perhaps,"  said  Miss  West,  with  a  beauti- 
ful light  in  her  eyes,  "perhaps  I  had  a  'calP 
too !" 

Not  many  doors  away,  around  a  corner,  was 
a  dressmaking  establishment  patronized  mostly 
by  the  wives  of  saloon-keepers  and  by  young 
women  out  at  service.  Edyth  had  been  attracted 
by  the  sign  in  a  front  window,  and  had  rung 
and  asked  for  "Madam  Henebry."  The  madam, 
who  had  bleached  hair,  small,  suspicious  eyes, 
and  a  coarse  mouth,  appeared  in  the  shabby, 
stuffy  little  parlor,  and  scrutinized  her  visit- 
or closely,  through  a  lorgnette  that  she  had 
picked  up  once  on  the  floor  of  a  theater.  The 
glasses  were  not  suited  to  her  eyes,  but  that 
fact  did  not  detract  from  her  impressiveness. 
There  was  something  formidable  in  her  natural 
appearance,  and  as  she  handled  it  the  innocent 
lorgnette  had  all  the  moral  effects  of  a  bludgeon. 
Edyth  was  attired  in  a  cheap,  dark  blue  cash- 
mere, a  coarse  black  jacket  of  the  style  of  two 
seasons  previous,  and  a  turban  of  velveteen  with 
a  bow  of  black  ribbon.  Her  commonplace  attire 
did  not  completely  conceal  her  fine  figure,  and 

made  her  erect  and  graceful  bearing  still  more 
306 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

noticeable.  Madam  took  her  at  first  for  a  new 
customer,  and  wore  a  gracious  smile  that  faded 
into  a  look  of  doubt  and  surprise  as  Edyth  asked 
if  there  was  an  opportunity  for  her  to  assist  in 
the  workroom.  The  madam  asked  a  few  ques- 
tions: where  did  she  live  and  with  whom,  and 
could  she  sew  well?  Then,  leaving  the  room, 
she  returned  with  a  bit  of  hemming  for  Edyth 
to  do.  Next  she  brought  a  waist  for  overcasting, 
then  a  buttonhole  to  be  worked.  Edyth  had  al- 
ways enjoyed  using  her  needle,  and  the  madam 
looked  on  admiringly  as  the  white,  deft  fingers 
swiftly  and  neatly  fulfilled  their  task. 

"You'll  do !"  she  said,  bluntly.  "I'll  have  a 
vacancy  one  week  from  to-day." 

Thus  it  was  that  on  a  stormy  January  morn- 
ing Edyth  made  her  first  appearance  in  Madam 
Henebry's  workroom.  Nearly  a  doxen  girls  had 
rived  before  her,  and  were  trying  to  limber  their 
benumbed  fingers  in  the  faint,  unfriendly 
warmth  from  an  ill-smelling  oil  stove.  The 
original  partition  had  been  removed  from  be- 
tween the  two  rooms  on  the  second  floo.r,  thus 
throwing  them  into  one  long,  narrow  apart- 
ment. It  was  a  cheerless  place,  for  the  rear 
307 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

windows  were  darkened  by  the  solid  side  wall 
of  a  tenement  house.  The  green  paper  shades 
were  rolled  loosely  to  the  tops  of  the  windows 
and  tied  with  tapes.  The  ceiling  was  low,  rough, 
and  smoke-stained.  The  walls  were  hung  with 
dressmakers'  charts  and  paper  patterns.  The 
dingy  carpet  was  worn  to  holes  in  places.  The 
air  was  heavy  and  foul,  and  it  was  evident  that 
no  windows  had  been  open  since  the  day  pre- 
vious. Edyth  paused  on  the  doorsill  as  she 
came  from  the  hall  room  that  did  duty  as  a 
receptacle  for  hats  and  wraps.  The  group  of 
girls  caught  sight  of  her,  nudged  each  other, 
whispered,  and  giggled.  The  madam  never 
troubled  herself  to  introduce  a  new  girl  to  the 
others.  Edyth's  gown  was  that  same  cheap  blue 
cashmere,  but  there  was  a  neat  white  linen 
collar  in  the  neck,  and  she  wore  also  a  plain  but 
snowy  little  lawn  apron.  Just  before  she  left 
home,  when  she  and  her  Aunt  Helen  arose  from 
their  knees  after  asking  the  Father's  blessing 
on  the  new  venture,  Miss  West  picked  a  splendid 
Lady  Washington  geranium  bloom,  and  pinned 
the  pink  cluster  on  Edyth's  waist.  This  caught 

the  eyes  of  the  girls.    As  Edyth  took  the  wooden 
308 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

chair  that  the  madam  assigned  to  her  tho 
whisperers  gathered  strength,  and  one  tall, 
black-eyed  girl,  who  wore  soiled  ribbons  and 
siderable  cheap  jewelry,  said  audibly: 

"0,  say,  girls,  ain't  I  jest  stunnin',  I  am! 
Guess  he  must  drive  a  wagon  fer  a  flower  shop, 
hey?" 

Edyth  expected  coarseness  and  insult,  and  was 
not  disturbed  by  the  remarks  that  were  made 
while  she  took  directions  from  her  employer 
about  the  facings  for  a  gorgeously  flowered  silk 
waist.  Edyth  sat  in  Kathie  Brent's  chair. 
Kathie  had  just  been  dismissed  on  account  of 
her  racking  cough.  She  was  a  shy,  silent  crea- 
ture, not  at  all  companionable.  The  girls  hated 
her  great,  mournful  blue  eyes  and  long,  bony- 
fingers,  and  her  cough  had  annoyed  them.  No 
one  wondered  now  that  she  was  gone  what  would 
become  of  her.  The  girls  who  shivered  all 
winter  and  drooped  all  summer  in  Madam 
Henebry's  dismal  workroom  were  to  their  task- 
mistress  only  so  many  animated  contrivances 
for  turning  off  work.  If  one  went,  some  other 
came.  Whether  they  went  silent  and  white  on 

a  long  journey,  or  recklessly  plunged  into  the 
309 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

life  of  the  music  halls  and  beer  gardens,  it 
mattered  not  to  her,  so  long  as  there  were  other 
hands  to  ply  her  needles  and  other  feet  to  work 
the  treadles  of  her  sewing-machines.  This  new 
girl  was  different  from  any  who  had  ever  sat 
among  them.  Her  fresh,  fair  face,  her  erect 
figure,  her  simplicity  of  attire  and  perfect  neat- 
ness, were  a  revelation  to  the  half-starved,  half- 
washed,  tawdry  creatures  who  made  their  bold 
comments  upon  her,  the  while  they  shook  out 
their  work  and  looked  for  stray  thimbles  and 
scissors.  Edyth  sewed  swiftly  and  well,  and 
gave  an  occasional  keen,  unobserved  glance  at 
the  others.  A  great  love  and  longing  filled  her 
soul.  There  were  eight  girls  bent  over  the  little 
heaps  of  silk  and  cashmere  and  dress  linings. 
They  had  found  another  subject  of  conversation 
by  this  time,  for  the  madam  had  just  announced 
that  Judy  O'Flaherty,  the  daughter  of  the  pro- 
prietor of  the  next  corner  grocery,  was  to  be 
married  within  a  month  with  great  ceremony 
in  St.  Bridget's,  on  the  adjoining  block,  and  the 
entire  trousseau  was  to  be  prepared  at  madam's 
establishment.  Even  the  madam's  grim  coun- 
tenance relaxed  somewhat  at  this  rise  in  her 
310 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

prosperities,  and  her  stern  hand  loosened  a  little, 
so  that  the  girls  knew  that  they  might  chat 
freely  for  a  season,  a  privilege  not  always 
granted. 

"Uv  course  it's  white  she'll  be  married  in, 
mum?"  interrogated  Maggie  Flynn  of  the 
madam,  who  nodded  graciously,  adding  with  -a 
relish,  "Satin !" 

"To  think  of  it!"  said  the  black-eyed  girl, 
who  went  by  the  name  of  "Snap." 

"The  luck  that  some  folks  has !"  sighed  Lillie 
Eiggs.  She  had  a  rather  delicate,  small-featured 
face,  and  a  head  of  frowsy  auburn  hair.  SJie 
usually  brought  a  sensational  story  paper  along 
with  her  luncheon,  and  wore  a  gilt  ring  with  a 
glass  solitaire  on  her  engagement  finger.  She 
had  bought  the  ring  herself  for  twenty-five 
cents. 

"Maggie,  I  dast  you  to  ask  the  madam  ef 
there's  goin'  to  be  a  toor?"  whispered  Ann 
Ferris. 

"I'll  not  be  dared,  girls.  It  ain't  fair.  I 
asked  about  the  dress." 

"Go     on     yourself,     Ann !"     said     several 

smothered  voices. 

311 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 


So  Ann,  venturing  on  the  madam's  unusual 
suavity,  piped  out  shrilly  with  a  high  flush  and 
a  quickened  heart-beat,  "Please,  ma'am,  be  they 
goin'  a-travelin'  ?" 

"Niagara !"  replied  madam,  sententiously. 

"Ah — h !"  came  in  an  awe-stricken  chorus. 

"Jest  like  Astors  and  Vanderbilts !"  ex- 
claimed Snap. 

"Now,  see  here,  girls,"  said  Amanda  Kaff, 
whose  face  showed  considerable  good,  practical 
sense,  "wouldn't  you  rather  never  see  Niaggery 
than  to  hev  to  take  it  along  with  Franz  Gun- 
ther's  Jim?" 

Franz  Gunther  was  the  ward  "boss,"  and  his 
oldest  son,  the  coming  bridegroom,  was  not  in 
the  highest  repute  in  the  neighborhood  for  good 
looks,  sobriety,  nor  honesty. 

While  this  chatter  had  been  going  on  one  of 
the  girls  had  edged  her  chair  quite  near  to 
Edyth.  She  had  a  pale,  pinched  face  and  a 
tired,  discouraged  air,  but  she  was  much  neater 
than  the  others  in  her  dress.  Her  bodice  was 
free  from  grease-spots,  her  hair  was  smooth,  and 
her  finger  nails  were  clean.  She  made  no  at- 
tempt at  ornament  of  any  sort.  Edyth  saw  that 
312 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

her  eyes  were  more  than  once  fixed  hungrily  on 
the  Lady  Washington  geranium,  and  she  de- 
tached it  from  her  dress  and  laid  it  on  the  girl's 
knee.  The  wan  face  lighted  up  as  if  a  beam 
of  sunshine  had  fallen  athwart  it. 

"0,  thank  you !"  was  the  low  response.  "Be- 
fore my  par  died  we  had  a  little  home  of  our 
own  in  the  country,  and  them  flowers  grew  in  a 
mound  in  the  front  yard.  I'll  take  it  home 
to  mar." 

She  lifted  it  to  her  lips,  and  then  pinned  it  on 
her  bosom. 

"What  is  your  name  ?"  said  Edyth. 

"Ellen  Lester,"  said  the  girl,  resuming  her 
needle. 

While  the  other  girls  chatted  and  laughed 
Edyth  drew  from  Ellen  the  story  of  her  family's 
misfortunes,  and  made  a  mental  note  of  her 
street  and  number.  The  madam,  who  had  left 
the  room  as  mild  as  a  June  morning,  now  re- 
turned like  a  stormy  November  night,  gloomy, 
stinging,  and  furious.  Mrs.  Matthias  Zimmer- 
mann  had  brought  back  her  green  cloth  suit  for 
extensive  alterations.  Each  girl  in  turn  was 

blamed  for  some  part  of  the  difficulty.     The 
313 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

merry  talk  suddenly  subsided.  Madam  stamped 
and  roared  like  a  wild  animal.  The  girls 
seemed  to  shrink  within  themselves.  Madam 
wished  to  punish  them  in  some  way.  She  would 
deprive  them  of  their  usual  privilege  of  steeping 
a  pot  of  tea  at  noon  on  the  stove.  Few  of  them 
were  in  the  habit  of  going  home  at  noon,  and  in 
bad  weather  all  remained.  There  was  but  half 
an  hour's  intermission  at  the  best.  To-day 
there  would  be  only  fifteen  minutes.  When  the 
clock  struck  twelve  the  madam  went  below  for 
her  own  luncheon.  "Snap"  arose  and  shook  her 
fist  at  the  closed  door. 

"You  old  she-dragon !"  she  muttered. 

"Let's  stab  her  with  the  scissors !"  said  Ann 
Ferris,  brandishing  a  pair  like  a  mock-tragedy 
queen. 

"And  put  out  her  eyes !"  said  Maggie  Flynn, 
waving  a  bodkin. 

"It  was  her  own  blunder,"  cried  Lizzie  Mc- 
Crea,  "an'  she  a-layin'  it  onto  us  girls  !" 

Ellen  Lester  burst  into  tears. 

"  'Bye,  Baby  Bunting,  Papa's  gone  a-hunt- 
ing,'  "  called  out  a  mocking  voice. 

"Girls,"  said  Edyth,  "may  I  open  a  window  ?" 

314 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"Ain't  we  got  enough  to  bear  without  bein' 
froze  to  death?"  cried  Snap,  viciously. 

"But  this  air  is  poisonous,"  said  Edyth.  "We 
will  all  have  headache  this  afternoon." 

"Well,  if  you  don't  like  it,  lump  it!"  re- 
plied Molly  Delaney.  "It  was  all  right  till  you 
come." 

"But  it  ain't  all  right,"  said  Amanda  Eaff, 
espousing  Edyth's  just  cause.  "You  girls  don't 
know  the  difference  between  a  dead  fish  an'  a  live 
one." 

"Well,  we  know  sass  when  we  hear  it,  don't 
we,  girls  ?"  said  Snap,  picking  up  a  pincushion 
and  flinging  it  at  Amanda's  head,  which  it 
missed  and  hit  Ed}7th  full  on  the  cheek,  inflict- 
ing several  painful  punctures  and  drawing 
blood.  Snap  waited  a  second,  instinctively  half- 
shielding  her  head  with  her  arm,  expecting  the 
immediate  return  of  the  missile,  but  to  her  sur- 
prise Edyth  quietly  took  a  handkerchief  and 
wiped  off  the  side  of  her  face,  then  picked  up  the 
cushion  and  replaced  it  on  the  table. 

"Shame,  shame !"  cried  some  of  the  girls  to 
Snap. 

"I  didn't  mean  it  fer  her !"  she  said,  sullenly. 
315 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"I'm  sure  you  would  not  wish  to  hurt  me  nor 
anyone,"  said  Edyth,  kindly. 

"Yes,  I  would,"  declared  Snap.  "I'd  like  to 
smash  the  whole  world." 

Then  by  a  curious  contradiction  she  sank 
down  on  the  floor,  threw  her  black  cotton  apron 
over  her  head,  and  cried  like  a  baby. 

"We  haven't  but  ten  minutes  left  fer  a  bite 
of  something  to  eat,"  said  Maggie  Flynn,  and 
the  girls  flocked  after  her  to  the  cloakroom, 
returning  with  small  brown  paper  parcels. 

"Come,  Snap,  up  with  you !"  said  Ann  Ferris. 
"Here,  I've  brought  your  lunch  in  with  mine." 

Snap  dried  her  eyes  on  her  apron,  and  took 
the  parcel  Ann  thrust  into  her  hand.  Edyth 
had  provided  herself  with  a  couple  of  sand- 
wiches in  order  that  she  might  remain  and 
study  her  new  companions.  She  was  horrified 
at  the  array  of  edibles  that  was  produced. 
Green  cucumber  pickles  enough  to  set  the  teeth 
of  the  mastodon  on  edge,  cream  puffs  made  with 
rancid  lard,  pieces  of  baker's  pie  with  only  a 
hint  of  fruit  between  two  layers  of  unspeakable 
crust.  There  was  no  word  of  criticism  on  these 

dainties  from  the  respective  owners,  but  Edyth 
316 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

knew  how  heads  and  nerves  and  stomachs  would 
protest,  although  the  girls  would  not  suspect  the 
cause. 

"Hurry  up  with  that  pie,  Lil,"  called  one. 
"We're  waitin'  fer  that  next  chapter.  I'm  just 
dyin'  to  know  if  Lord  Manchester  marries  the 
nurse  girl." 

Lillie  was  in  the  habit  of  reading  aloud  from 
her  favorite  papers. 

"I  can't  read,  girls,  to-day,"  she  said,  "with- 
out my  tea.  I'm  faint  fer  it." 

"So  am  I,"  said  Ann.  "Ain't  it  mean, 
though?" 

"Then  Maggie  must  sing,"  said  Lizzie. 
"Sing  that  new  tune  we  heard  at  Blakely's  last 
night." 

Edyth  shuddered.  She  had  seen  that  name 
blazoned  in  colored  lights  over  a  coarse  resort 
on  a  neighboring  avenue.  Maggie  Flynn  was  a 
very  pretty  girl,  with  a  wealth  of  burnished 
brown  hair,  and  a  lovely  mouth. 

"Ain't  I  missin'  my  tea  as  much  as  any  of 
ye?"  she  said. 

"But,  Maggie,  alanna,"  urged  Molly,  "cheer 

us  up  a  bit." 

21  317 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

So  Maggie  took  her  stand  at  the  end  of  the 
room,  and  sang  a  really  musical  little  ballad 
with  the  airs  and  graces  of  a  public  favorite. 
Her  voice  was  wonderfully  sweet  and  of  rare 
compass.  Edyth  listened  and  jotted  another 
fact  down  in  her  mental  notebook.  The  madam 
returned  just  then  in  a  more  amiable  mood, 
having  partaken  of  a  hot  and  palatable  meal, 
including  a  cup  of  strong  and  steaming  tea. 

It  was  a  trying  afternoon.  A  fog  set  in 
early,  and  the  kerosene  lamps  were  lighted. 
The  girls  missed  their  accustomed  stimulus, 
and  were  suffering  from  impure  air  and  indi- 
gestion. They  had  several  mishaps  with  their 
work.  Edyth's  skillful  hand  saved  Snap  and 
several  others  from  severe  reproof  from  the 
madam,  as  well  as  a  cut  in  their  small  wages. 
Ellen  Lester  fainted  before  night,  and  that 
time  when  Edyth  proposed  to  open  a  window  for 
a  few  moments  no  one  demurred,  and  all  felt 
the  reviving  influence  of  even  the  damp  outdoor 
air. 

Ellen's  indisposition  gave  Edyth  a  chance 
to  walk  home  with  her  at  six  o'clock.  A  room 

in  a  neighboring  tenement  house,  divided  by 
318 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

calico  curtains  into  a  kitchen  and  two  bedrooms, 
was  the  home  of  Mrs.  Lester,  her  daughter 
Ellen,  and  her  son  James,  a  boy  of  fourteen, 
who  responded  to  the  call  of  "Cash !"  in  a  down- 
town shop.  Edyth  observed  the  neatness  of  the 
place  as  she  conversed  with  Mrs.  Lester.  Mr. 
Lester  had  been  a  mechanic  in  a  New  England 
town.  A  long  illness  had  exhausted  his  small 
savings,  a  mortgage  on  the  cottage  that  they  had 
partly  bought  had  been  foreclosed,  and  upon  his 
death  there  were  no  near  relatives  to  help  them 
The  family  had  come  to  New  York,  and  had 
lived  on  the  edge  of  starvation  ever  since.  It 
was  a  very  commonplace  story,  but  its  genuine 
distress  touched  Edyth's  heart.  She  might  not 
reveal  too  speedily  her  ability  to  help,  but  she 
spoke  so  kindly  and  hopefully  to  the  sad  mother 
and  daughter  that  somehow  their  hearts  grew 
lighter.  On  the  way  home  she  stopped  at  a 
grocers  and  ordered  a  generous  supply  of 
edibles,  including  some  fruit  and  delicacies,  to 
be  sent  to  the  Lesters  from  "a  friend,"  and, 
weary  though  she  was  in  body,  she  climbed  the 
stairs  to  her  own  apartments  as  if  on  wings. 

As  she  reached  the  landing  Aunt  Helen's  face 
319 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

appeared  at  a  narrow  opening  in  the  front  door, 
as  they  called  their  entrance  to  the  sitting  room. 

"I  was  getting  uneasy,  dear,"  she  said;  "you 
are  nearly  an  hour  late." 

"I'll  tell  you  all  about  it,"  said  Edyth.  "This 
has  heen  the  longest,  the  shortest,  the  most 
trying,  the  most  blessed,  day  of  my  life  so  far. 
But  first,  please  give  me  a  plate  of  soup,  for  I'm 
simply  ravenous." 

After  the  evening  meal  was  cleared  away 
Edyth  lay  on  the  lounge  in  the  firelight,  and, 
holding  fast  to  one  of  Miss  West's  hands,  de- 
scribed the  events  of  the  day. 

"I  have  two  definite  ideas  as  the  result  of 
this  day's  experiment,"  said  Edyth,  in  conclu- 
sion. "First,  proper  food  for  the  girls.  Sec- 
ond, to  find  the  girl  whose  place  I  have  taken, 
Kathie  Brent.  Yes,  I  may  add  a  third,  to  help 
the  Lesters  to  better  conditions.  But,  auntie, 
dear,  I  haven't  asked  at  all  about  your  day. 
Have  you  been  very  lonely  ?" 

"On  the  contrary,  I  have  been  very  busy," 
said  Miss  West.  "Perhaps  I  can  tell  a  story." 

"How  delightful!"  said  Edyth.  "What  is 
it?" 

320 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"Well,"  said  Miss  West,  "you  had  not  been 
gone  very  long  this  morning  when  I  heard  a 
great  commotion  in  the  hall  overhead,  and  then 
on  the  stairs.  There  were  angry  voices  of  men 
and  the  wailing  of  a  woman.  I  availed  myself 
of  our  chain  bolt  and  peeped  out.  Some  men 
were  carrying  a  few  pieces  of  rickety  furniture 
down  the  stairs,  and  two  others  bore  a  cot  bed 
on  which  lay  an  elderly  colored  woman  evidently 
ill  and  friendless.  I  ventured  into  the  hall  and 
inquired  what  was  the  matter.  One  man  told 
me  that  the  woman  was  behind  two  months  in 
her  rent. 

"  'But  what  is  to  become  of  her  ?'  I  asked. 

"  'Sidewalk,'  he  answered,  savagely.  'She's 
only  playin'  'possum,  she  is.' 

"Whereupon  the  poor  creature  on  the  bed 
cried  in  a  hoarse  whisper,  '0  lady,  fer  de  Lawd's 
sake,  help  me !  I  ain't  got  nobody  in  all  de 
worl',  nobody,  nobody.' 

"I  told  the  men  to  carry  her  back  to  her  room 
and  I  would  go  to  the  agent  and  pay  the  ar- 
rears on  the  rent.  They  grumbled  a  good  deal, 
but  I  gave  them  each  something,  and  the  bed 

and  the  poor  wrecks  of  chairs  were  returned 
321 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

to  a  fourth-floor  hall  bedroom.  I  found  the 
agent  and  settled  with  him,  and  went  for  a 
doctor,  who  came  within  an  hour.  He  said  that 
the  woman  has  a  very  bad  cold,  but  that  she 
needs  good  food  more  than  anything  else.  Her 
name  is  Clarissy  Hallam,  she  says,  and  she  went 
out  washing  and  scrubbing  until  she  took  ill, 
but  she  did  not  have  work  enough  to  provide 
anything  ahead.  I  have  made  her  comfortable 
for  the  present.  It  was  very  touching  to  see 
her  grateful  appreciation  of  the  little  I  had 
done  for  her.  Somehow  I  felt  as  if  I  were  work- 
ing side  by  side  with  the  Master  to-day;  for 
although  all  our  work  is  done  under  his  loving 
eyes,  he  does  not  always  seem  so  near  to  me." 

It  was  just  before  daylight  the  next  morning 
that  Miss  West  heard  Edyth  call  softly: 

"Aunt  Helen !" 

"Well,  my  dear?" 

"I've  a  new  scheme.  Those  girls  must  be 
better  fed.  How  would  it  do  to  set  Mrs.  Lester 
up  in  a  small  restaurant  near  by  here,  and  fur- 
nish good,  nourishing  food  for  losing  prices,  and 
yet  charge  just  enough  to  make  the  girls  feel 

independent?     It  may  be  that  your  good  old 
322 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

colored  woman,  Clarissy  What's-her-name,  will 
be  excellent  help  for  Mrs.  Lester." 

"What  next,  Edyth?"  said  Miss  West. 

"But  would  you  not  approve,  auntie?" 

"Certainly,  dear.  I  was  only  thinking  how 
your  path  begins  to  widen.  It  is  good  that, 
unlike  the  majority  of  philanthropists,  you  are 
not  perplexed  for  means  to  carry  out  your 
plans." 

"I  haven't  told  you  yet,  auntie,  of  my  most 
cherished  plan.  It  seems  almost  too  beautiful 
to  be  practical,  and  yet  it  haunts  my  mind  con- 
stantly. However,  it  will  keep.  The  restau- 
rant is  the  next  thing." 

Thus  it  came  about  that  not  quite  three  weeks 
after  this  conversation,  when  the  girls  at  Madam 
Henebry's  were  laying  aside  their  work  at  the 
stroke  of  noon,  Edyth  drew  from  her  pocket  a 
bunch  of  neat  little  menu  cards,  and  said  with 
a  happy  glance  at  Ellen  Lester : 

"Girls,  I  find  that  Ellen's  mother  has  moved 
just  around  the  corner,  and  is  willing  to  serve 
luncheon  and  supper  at  small  prices.  Suppose 
we  go  there  to-day  instead  of  trying  to  eat  here. 

Just  read  over  the  list : 
323 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"  Tlate  of  beef  soup  and  a  roll,  3  cents. 

"  'Cup  of  tea,  coffee,  or  cocoa,  1  cent. 

"  Toached  egg  on  toast,  or  boiled  egg  with 
rolls  and  butter,  3  cents. 

"  'Roast-beef  or  chicken  sandwich,  4  cents. 

"  'Bowl  of  rich  milk  with  rice,  3  cents. 

"'French  hash  (special),  1  cent. 

"  'One  kind  of  fresh  or  stewed  fruit  without 
extra  charge.' ': 

There  were  the  keenest  interest  and  a  buzzing 
of  tongues  as  Edyth  finished  reading. 

She  had  obtained  considerable  influence  over 
her  shopmates  by  her  cheerful  dignity  and  un- 
varying kindness.  They  were  quite  incredulous 
about  the  new  restaurant. 

"Yer  mar  can't  make  nothin'  at  that  rate," 
said  Snap  to  Ellen,  scornfully. 

"She'll  make  our  own  table,  anyhow,  I  hope," 
replied  Ellen,  "and  there's  three  of  us  to  feed." 

"What  on  earth  is  'French  hash  ?'  "  asked  Ann 
Ferris,  studying  her  card. 

"0,  you  just  ought  to  taste  of  mother's  hash," 
said  Ellen,  with  gathering  courage.  "It  ain't 
made  out  of  no  plate  pcrapin's,  I  can  tell  you, 

and  it  is  browned  just  the  loveliest  you  ever  see." 
324 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"You  see,  it's  only  open  from  twelve  to  one, 
and  from  six  till  seven  at  night,"  said  Edyth, 
consulting  the  bill.  "Mrs.  Lester  is  not  able 
to  serve  very  many  patrons,  and  if  we  all  go 
there  I  imagine  we  will  have  it  pretty  much  to 
ourselves." 

"Well,  come  along,"  said  Snap.  "It  won't  do 
no  hurt  to  try.  I'm  half-starved  this  minute." 

The  little  procession,v  headed  by  Edyth  and 
Ellen,  made  their  way  around  the  corner  to  the 
first  floor  front,  where  Mrs.  Lester  had  laid  half 
a  dozen  little  tables  with  dainty  linen,  shining 
glass,  and  bright  silver.  There  was  a  bunch 
of  pink  carnations  in  a  clear  glass  vase  in  the 
center  of  each  table.  The  floor  was  covered  by 
neat  linoleum  enlivened  by  some  warm-colored 
rugs.  A  cheery  fire  was  glowing  in  the  base- 
burner  stove.  An  ecru  and  gilt  wall  paper  with 
a  border  of  roses  made  a  good  background  for 
several  pretty  photographs  in  oak  frames.  The 
deep  window  sills  afforded  space  for  thrifty 
begonias  and  geraniums.  It  was  like  a  glimpse 
of  another  world  to  the  girls,  or  like  a  tale  of  a 
fairy  godmother  in  which  they  were  actors.  A 

fine-looking  lady  of  about  forty  sat  at  a  corner 
325 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

table  leisurely  eating  her  luncheon.  Miss  West 
had  not  needed  Edyth's  urgent  request  to  insure 
her  presence  at  this  opening  day;  and,  in  fact, 
both  Edyth  and  herself  found  Mrs.  Lester's 
viands  so  delicious  that  they  resolved  for  the 
remainder  of  the  winter  to  take  only  their  break- 
fasts at  home. 

When  Snap  entered  she  looked  suspicious  and 
surly,  but  a  few  spoonfuls  of  the  most  savory 
and  appetizing  soup  the  poor  child  had  ever 
tasted  seemed  to  Avarm  her  heart  as  well  as  her 
stomach,  and  her  frown  relaxed.  There  was 
little  or  no  conversation  in  the  room.  The  girls 
were  mystified  into  silence,  and  busy  with  the 
wonderful  food.  They  paid  their  insignificant 
checks  to  Mrs.  Lester,  and  went  out  quietly  and 
back  to  work.  A  babel  of  words  broke  loose  as 
they  went  up  the  madam's  dusty  staircase. 

"Girls,  it  ain't  so !"  exclaimed  Maggie  Flynn. 
"It  just  can't  be." 

"But  it  is !"  said  Ann  Ferris. 

"Such  coffee  !"  ejaculated  Lizzie  McCrea. 

"Such  milk  !"  cried  Molly  Delaney. 

"Such  soup !     Why,  I  feel  like  another  per- 
son," declared  Amanda  Raff. 
326 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"But  all  as  good  as  give  away!"  said  Snap, 
meditatively.  "I  can't  understand  it." 

A  few  days  later  Edyth  invited  all  of  her 
shopmates  to  spend  the  next  Thursday  evening 
at  her  home  and  enjoy  a  candy  pull.  Ellen 
Lester  was  the  only  one  of  them  that  had  ever 
made  candy,  and  the  opportunity  was  too  inter- 
esting to  be  neglected.  Accordingly,  at  the  ap- 
pointed time  they  all  appeared,  eager  to  see 
where  Edyth  might  live,  and  desiring  to  know 
something  more  of  this  strange  companion  who 
shared  their  work,  wore  cheap  clothes,  and  yet 
was  so  different  from  themselves  that  her  very 
presence  among  them  had  made  them  want  to 
lead  gentler  and  sweeter  lives.  Edyth's  sitting 
room  was  warm  and  cheerful,  like  her  welcome, 
and  Miss  West  added  the  gracious  charm  of  her 
own  lovely  spirit. 

"We  had  better  make  our  candy  the  first 
thing,"  said  Edyth,  inviting  her  guests  out  into 
the  clean,  orderly  kitchen.  Mrs.  Lester  was 
there  to  help,  and  was  setting  forth  various 
utensils  and  materials  upon  the  large  table. 

"Here  are  gingham  aprons  for  all,"  said  Miss 

West,  passing  one  to  each  girl. 
327 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"Lizzie/'  said  Edyth,  "you  may  shell  these 
peanuts  for  the  taffy,  and  Snap — by  the  way, 
Snap,  what  is  your  real  name  ?  I've  often  won- 
dered." 

"Louise,"  replied  Snap. 

"What  a  pretty  name !"  said  Edyth.  "May  I 
call  you  by  it  ?" 

"I'd  jest  as  lief.  It  always  seemed  too  nice 
for  me." 

"But  Louise  it  must  be  after  this  with  me, 
at  least.  You  may  chop  the  peanuts  in  this 
wooden  tray.  Molly  and  Maggie  may  stone 
these  dates,  please,  and  get  them  ready  for  the 
cream  filling;  and,  Ann,  if  you  will,  you  may 
help  by  cracking  these  English  walnuts,  while 
Ellen  takes  them  out  of  the  shells  in  nice  halves 
like  this — see  ?" 

The  other  girls  were  deputed  to  take  turns  in 
stirring  the  molasses,  and  as  the  little  group 
worked  merrily  together  all  awkwardness  and 
strangeness  wore  speedily  away  amid  cheery 
laughter  and  anticipations  of  the  coming  treat. 
When  the  candies  were  done  and  set  to  cool  the 
company  returned  to  the  sitting  room.  There 

was  a  pile  of  fine,  large  photographs,  but  not 
328 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

too  many,  on  the  center  table,  views  of  noted 
buildings  and  of  grand  scenery  in  our  own  coun- 
try. Edyth  showed  these  pictures  and  talked 
delightfully  about  them,  and  a  new  door  opened 
in  these  dark,  narrow  lives.  There  was  some- 
thing deeper  than  pleasure  in  the  expressive 
faces  around  the  table. 

Then  Edyth  proposed  some  music,  but  Mag- 
gie, who  was  the  only  soloist  among  the  girls, 
hung  back  shyly. 

"Come,  Maggie,"  said  Edyth,  "I  have  a  song 
here  that  just  suits  your  voice.  I  will  go 
through  with  it  first,  if  you  like." 

Maggie  stepped  to  Edyth's  side  at  the  organ, 
and  Edyth  sang,  "There's  a  beautiful  land  on 
high."  The  words  were  set  to  music  so  full  of 
heavenly  inspiration  in  its  rich  tenderness  and 
pathos  that  one  would  be  willing  to  live  long 
years  just  to  breathe  out  one  such  melody  for 
God.  Maggie  had  hardly  ever  heard  a  religious 
song  in  her  life.  Edyth  had  never  sung  so  well. 
The  room  was  as  quiet  as  a  lonely  field  at  night. 

"My  Jesus  is  there,  He's  gone  to  prepare, 
A  place  in  that  land  for  me." 

When  she  had  finished  there  were  tears  in  the 
329 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

eyes  of  some  of  the  girls.  Louise  had  buried  her 
head  in  the  sofa  cushions,  but  Maggie  stood  with 
a  strange,  awe-struck,  but  beautiful  hope  shin- 
ing in  her  face,  even  though  her  cheeks  were 
wet. 

"What  a  lovely  song!"  she  said,  softly,  after 
a  pause  that  was  eloquent  with  deep  feeling. 
"Are  there  many  of  that  sort?" 

"Yes,"  replied  Edyth,  kindly,  "there  are  a 
great  many,  but  this  is  one  of  my  favorites. 
Would  you  like  to  try  it  ?" 

"0,  not  now,"  said  Maggie,  "not  after  you; 
but  I  do  want  to  learn  it." 

"Well,  come  in  any  evening,  and  I  will  teach 
it  to  you." 

Molly  Delaney  was  still  poring  over  the  photo- 
graphs. She  had  selected  a  grand  view  of  Pike's 
Peak,  crowned  with  snow,  and  had  set  it  up 
against  the  standard  of  the  lamp,  and  sat  gaz- 
ing at  it  with  an  expression  of  wondering  de- 
light. 

"Do  you  like  it,  Molly?"  said  Edyth. 

"Like  it,  Miss  Wilsey !  I  think  if  I  was  ever 
so  tired  it  would  sorter  rest  me.  It  looks  so 

grand  and  still-like." 

330 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"You  may  have  it,  Molly,  to  take  home  and 
keep." 

"0,  but  I  wasn't  hintin'  for  it,  Miss  Wilsey." 

"I  know  that  you  weren't,"  replied  Edyth, 
"but  I  intended  one  of  those  pictures  for  each 
of  you,  girls,  if  you  like  them.  You  may  as 
well  select  them  now." 

The  choice  of  the  photographs  was  mixed 
with  much  happy  conversation,  but  as  the  girls 
settled  back  into  their  chairs  Snap,  who  had 
been  nicknamed  on  account  of  a  steel-trap  man- 
ner of  speaking,  cried  out : 

"0,  I  do  wish  I  knew  things !" 

"So  do  I !"  said  Ann  Ferris.  "But  what's 
the  use?" 

"No  use/'  declared  Molly  Delaney.  "If  a 
girl  works  hard  all  day  she's  too  dead  tired  to 
go  to  school  at  night." 

"We  were  born  away  down  in  the  world,  and 
there  ain't  no  good  in  tryin'  to  climb  up,"  said 
Lizzie  McCrea,  bitterly. 

"0,  but  that  is  doubtless  just  what  we  are 
put  'away  down'  for,"  said  Edyth,  cheerily,  "to 
see  if  there  is  enough  to  us  to  climb.  There  are 

better  things  for  every  one  of  us,  better  and 
331 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

better,  if  we  will  have  them.  While  Mrs.  Lester 
is  getting  us  some  luncheon  I  would  like  to 
read  you  about  the  very  best  thing  in  the  world, 
something  that  we  can  all  have.  A  good  man 
has  called  it  The  Greatest  Thing  in  the  World. 
Shall  I  read  a  little?" 

"We're  ready/'  said  a  voice. 

Edyth  read  a  few  pages,  and  then  glanced  up 
at  the  circle  of  attentive  listeners  that  surround- 
ed her.  Molly  had  come  and  sat  on  the  floor  at 
her  feet. 

"Shall  I  go  on?"  she  asked. 

"0,  yes,  yes !"  came  in  a  chorus  of  sincere 
appreciation. 

Just  then  Mrs.  Lester  appeared  in  the  door- 
way with  a  significant  gesture  that  announced 
that  refreshments  were  ready. 

"We  will  go  to  the  dining  room  now,"  said 
Edyth,  "and  finish  this  later." 

A  bountiful  supply  of  sandwiches  and  pitch- 
ers of  hot  cocoa  awaited  the  group,  to  which  they 
did  full  justice.  Then  the  platters  of  candy 
were  brought,  and  Edyth  had  provided  some 
little  white  pasteboard  boxes,  that  each  girl 

might  fill  one  with  sweets.  She  wondered  if  they 
332 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

would  propose  to  finish  the  essay,  and  it  did  her 
heart  good  when  Amanda  Raff  said : 

"Ain't  we  goin'  to  hear  the  rest  of  that  book  ?" 

So  Edyth  read  on  to  the  end. 

"That's  jest  what  you  have,  ain't  it?"  said 
Snap  to  her  hostess,  as  the  booklet  was  closed 
and  laid  down. 

"I  do  love  you,  girls,"  she  replied,  sincerely. 

"But  why,  Miss  Wilsey?  You  may  be  poor 
and  have  to  work  for  a  livin',  but  you  ain't  our 
sort,  and  we  know  it,"  declared  Ann  Ferris, 
nervously.  "If  you  ain't  up  now,  you've  been 
up." 

"We  won't  talk  about  that  now,  Ann,"  said 
Edyth.  "Sometime  I  will  tell  you  just  how  it 
was  that  my  life  has  been  thrown  with  yours. 
I  love  you,  every  one,  and  I  hope  we  are  going 
to  have  some  good  times  together.  If  you  ask 
why  I  love  you,  it  is  because  the  One  whom  I 
love  best,  our  Saviour,  loves  you  more  than  I  can 
tell,  and  wants  you  to  be  happier." 

Jt  was  time  for  the  girls  to  go  home,  and 
Edyth  passed  a  copy  of  Gospel  Hymns  to  each, 
and  sat  down  at  the  organ. 

"Let  us  try  an  evening  hymn,"  she  said.    "I 
22  333 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

will  play  it  all  through,  and  then  we  will  sing  u 
together." 

They  quickly  caught  the  air  of  "Hursley," 
and  the  hlessed  words  of  the  hymn  "Sun  of  my 
soul"  .were  sung  very  sweetly,  and  followed  by 
a  short  prayer  from  Miss  West. 

"We've  had  an  awful  good  time,"  said  Ann 
Ferris,  as  the  girls  put  on  their  hats  and  coats. 
Edyth  received  the  somewhat  dubious  compli- 
ment in  the  grateful  spirit  in  which  it  was  in- 
tended, and  replied : 

"How  would  you  all  like  to  spend  an  evening 
here  once  a  week,  perhaps  every  Thursday  ?  You 
can  each  one  bring  a  girl  friend  if  you  like." 

"What  luck  for  the  likes  of  us !"  said  Molly 
Delaney,  hugging  her  precious  picture  to  her 
heart. 

"Well,  you  may  consider  that  you  all  have  a 
standing  invitation  to  spend  that  evening  with 
my  aunt  and  me,"  said  Edyth.  "We  won't  make 
candy  every  time,  but  we  will  have  something 
pleasant  to  do." 

The  next  morning  Maggie  Flynn  appeared  at 
Madam  Henebry's  with  great  news  to  tell. 
"Blakely's"  had  sent  for  her  in  haste  the  night 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

before.  One  of  the  star  singers  had  been  taken 
suddenly  ill,  and  Maggie  was  wanted  to  fill  out 
the  program. 

"They  want  me  to-night,  sure,"  said  she, 
"and  it's  good  work  and  steady  pay,  and  more 
fun  than  sewing  one's  eyes  out  here." 

"0,  but,  Maggie,  you  won't  do  it,  will  you  ?" 
said  Lizzie  McCrea. 

"I'd  like  to  know  why  not?"  asked  Maggie, 
with  a  willful  little  toss  of  her  head.  "I  would 
like  the  money." 

"Well,  you  know  if  a  girl  wants  to  keep  sober 
and  decent  she'd  best  keep  away  from  Blakely's 
altogether,"  replied  Lizzie,  firmly. 

"It's  mighty  pleasant  in  there  of  a  cold 
night,"  sighed  Ann  Ferris.  "What  with  the 
lights  and  the  warmth  and  the  lively  music, 
it's  a  deal  pleasanter  than  it  is  to  home." 

"Well,  I  may  go,  and  I  may  not !"  declared 
Maggie. 

She  had  been  skirting  the  edges  of  evil  for 
some  months.  Her  home  was  a  pitiable  place, 
for  her  father  and  brothers  drank  freely,  and 
her  mother  was  crushed  in  health  and  spirits. 

Maggie  liked  to  get  away  from  the  poverty  and 
335 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

wretchedness  and  forget  her  troubles  for  a  few 
hours.  So  far  she  had  not  crossed  the  fatal 
bridge  to  ruin,  but  she  was  dallying  near  the 
entrance  to  it.  Less  than  a  month  before  she 
would  have  hailed  with  unmixed  delight  the 
opportunity  to  sing  at  Blakely's;  but  last  even- 
ing spent  in  Edyth's  home  had  awakened  a  dim 
but  potent  desire  after  the  beauty  of  goodness, 
and  she  was  hesitant  and  ashamed.  Edyth  was 
on  the  alert.  She  walked  with  Maggie  to 
luncheon. 

"Maggie,"  she  said,  "I  wish  you'd  go  with  me 
to-night  and  hear  some  of  the  very  best  music 
in  the  world.  My  aunt  will  go  with  us,  and  then 
you  can  come  and  stay  all  night  at  our  house." 

"Thank  you,"  said  Maggie.  "I'll  think  about 
it,  but  I've  a  very  strong  mind  to  go  to  Blake- 
ly's. I  ain't  obliged  to  go  to  the  bad  just  be- 
cause I  sing  there." 

"Perhaps  not,"  replied  Edyth,  "but  the 
chances  would  not  be  in  your  favor,  would 
they?" 

"No,"  said  Maggie,  frankly,  "they  wouldn't." 

"There  are  better  days  coming  to  you  soon, 
dear  girl,  if  you  will  be  brave  and  patient. 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

How  would  you  like  to  go  to  a  music  school — 
a  conservatory,  they  call  it — and  learn  to  sing  ?" 

"0,  Miss  Wilsey,  how  could  it  be  ?" 

"Never  mind  about  that.  I  know  the  way. 
Just  give  up  this  Blakely  matter  forever,  that's 
all." 

"Miss  Wilsey,  the  girls  say  that  you  ain't  a 
real  girl  like  us,  but  you're  an  angel  come  to 
live  among  us." 

"A  very  human  sort  of  angel,"  laughed 
Edyth.  "But  tell  me,  will  you  go  with  us  to- 
night ?" 

"Yes,  Miss  Wilsey,  I'll  go,"  said  Maggie. 

Edyth  had  bought  three  seats  for  the  ora- 
torio of  "Elijah,"  expecting  to  give  some  one  of 
the  girls  a  chance  to  hear  one  of  the  best  things 
in  life,  and  thus  it  happened  that  Maggie 
Flynn's  depressed  and  benighted  soul  came  that 
night  into  a  great  center  of  inspiring  and 
elevating  influence  that  made  the  terrible  and 
degrading  vulgarities  of  Blakely's  appear  at 
their  real  value,  and  showed  her  the  two  king- 
doms that  divide  this  world  and  strive  for  the 
mastery  of  human  hearts.  The  immense  audi- 
ence, so  quiet  and  refined,  the  glorious  music 
337 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

that  she  could  not  wholly  understand,  the  ma- 
jestic words,  all  made  an  appeal  to  the  suscep- 
tible mind  and  heart  of  the  girl.  What  most 
impressed  her  was  the  contralto  soloist,  a  young 
woman  with  a  noble  simplicity  of  bearing  and  a 
rich  voice,  who  stood  unconscious  of  herself, 
plainly  attired,  and  held  the  crowded  house  in  a 
thrall  of  holy  enjoyment.  Maggie  contrasted 
this  singer  with  those  whom  she  had  heard  and 
seen,  and  her  cheeks  flamed  with  wholesome 
shame. 

"I  will  be  like  her,"  she  said  to  herself.  "I 
will  sing  like  her,  in  such  places  and  for  such 
people  as  these." 

Edyth  had  won  a  victory  for  God  and  heaven. 

Edyth  had  observed,  as  the  days  wore  on, 
the  speedy  effect  of  better  food  upon  her  shop- 
mates.  Hollow  cheeks  were  beginning  to  take 
on  rounder  outlines,  famished  nerves  were 
being  nourished,  there  were  fewer  headaches, 
and  consequently  there  was  much  less  irritability 
in  the  workroom.  She  also  found  that  each  of 
these  girls  had  some  hidden  longing  for  some 
special  line  of  work.  Louise  was  quick  at 

figures,  and  wanted  to  learn  bookkeeping.  Molly 
338 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

had  considerable  natural  ability  for  drawing. 
Ann  Ferris  had  an  ambition  to  thoroughly  un- 
derstand the  underrated  art  of  good  cooking. 
Lillie  Riggs  had  dreamed  silly  dreams  of  a 
coming  prince  who  would  lift  her  to  his  high 
estate,  but  beneath  her  fostered  sentimentality 
was  a  real  talent  for  designing  patterns  for  wall 
papers  and  dry  goods.  Ellen  Lester  and  Lizzie 
McCrea  were  thoroughly  domestic  in  their 
tastes.  The  Thursday  nights  at  Edytlfs  home 
developed  these  facts  and  more. 

After  the  club  was  well  under  way  she  with- 
drew from  Madam  Henebry's,  her  employment 
there  having  served  its  purpose  to  open  for  her  a 
way  to  hearts  and  lives.  She  taught  the  girls 
much  of  hygiene,  of  personal  neatness,  of  quiet- 
ness in  dress  and  speech,  and  of  good  reading. 
She  visited  the  mothers  in  their  dreary  homes, 
and  carried  brightness  and  hope  with  her. 

With  the  help  of  Amanda  Eaff  she  discovered 
Kathie  Brent  coughing  her  desolate  life  away 
in  a  dark,  stuffy  bedroom  in  the  miserable  flat 
of  a  poor  relative.  A  family  in  the  room  over 
Edyth's  sitting  room  had  moved  out,  and  she 

rented  the  place,  had  it  cleansed  and  beautified, 
339 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

and  brought  Kathie  there  to  spend  her  last  days 
in  comfort  and  sunshine,  with  good  old  Clarissy 
Hallam  installed  as  nurse.  Clarissy  enjoyed 
this  position  far  more  than  her  situation  in  Mrs. 
Lester's  restaurant,  and  gave  the  sick  girl  the 
best  of  care.  Kathie  died  before  spring,  but 
Edyth  had  pointed  her  to  the  Saviour,  and  she 
went  home  with  the  light  of  his  welcome  trans- 
figuring her  wasted  face. 

"I'll  tell  him  it  was  you,  you,  you!"  she 
whispered  to  Edyth  just  before  her  happy  spirit 
vanished. 

"A  star  in  your  crown,  dear,"  said  Aunt 
Helen,  as  she  stood  with  Edyth  beside  the  peace- 
ful form  in  the  casket. 

"But  the  crown  belongs  at  Jesus's  feet,  auntie. 
0,  what  could  the  world  have  ever  given  me  in 

exchange  for  this  ?" 

340 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 


CHAPTER  XI 

Miss  WEST  and  her  niece  had  been  largely 
influenced  in  the  selection  of  their  home  by  tue 
fact  that  there  was  a  mission  chapel  only  a  few 
blocks  distant.  It  had  been  built  and  was  sup- 
ported by  a  wealthy  uptown  church.  There 
was  no  morning  service,  but  a  Sunday  school 
was  held  in  the  afternoon,  and  there  was  al- 
ways an  evening  service  of  song  with  an  ad- 
dress by  some  one,  usually  the  assistant  pastor, 
the  Rev.  Winthrop  Leigh.  The  first  Sunday 
that  Miss  West  and  Edyth  occupied  their  flat 
they  were  too  weary  to  present  themselves  at  the 
chapel,  but  a  week  later,. on  a  stormy  afternoon, 
Edyth  made  her  way  there.  About  a  hundred 
and  fifty  restless  young  mortals  from  the 
neighboring  byways  were  gathered  there,  as 
well  as  a  few  adult  scholars.  There  was  not 
only  an  unusual  dearth  of  teachers  that  day, 
but  the  organist  also  was  missing.  The  alert 
eyes  of  the  superintendent  noted  Edyth's  en- 
trance, and  he  soon  made  his  way  to  the  chair 

in  the  rear  where  she  had  seated  herself.     He 
341 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

thought  that  she  must  be  some  young  lady  from 
the  uptown  Sunday  school,  who  had  come  in 
response  to  a  recent  fervent  appeal  for  helpers 
in  the  mission;  but  he  prided  himself  on  a 
knowledge  of  the  membership  of  St.  Christo- 
pher's only  second  to  that  of  the  pastor,  and  it 
annoyed  him  that  he  could  not  call  this  new- 
comer by  name.  He  advanced  in  his  straight- 
forward but  gentlemanly  way,  and  extended  his 
hand,  saying  with  cordial  dignity : 

"I  am  Mr.  Sanborn,  the  superintendent.  May 
I  welcome  a  new  helper  in  our  mission?" 

"If  I  can  be  of  any  service,"  said  Edyth, 
graciously,  "I  will  be  glad." 

"You  are  from  our  church,  St.  Christopher's, 
of  course  ?"  said  he.  "It  is  strange  that  I  can- 
not place  you.  Perhaps  you  have  recently  joined 
us?" 

"No,  Mr.  Sanborn,  I  am  not  a  member  of 
your  church,  but  I  am  interested  in  Christian 
work  in  this  neighborhood,  and  I  thought  I 
would  drop  in  here  to-day." 

"May  I  ask  your  name?" 

"My  name  is  Miss  Wilsey." 

"Very  well,  Miss  Wilsey,  you  are  certainly  a 
342 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

Godsend  to  us  this  day.  I  hope  you  can  play  for 
us.  Our  organist  is  ill." 

Edyth  said  that  she  would  try  to  supply  the 
vacancy,  and  followed  Mr.  Sanborn  to  the  plat- 
form, taking  her  place  at  the  instrument.  Mr. 
Sanborn's  daughter,  with  a  violin,  and  a  young 
man,  with  a  flute,  were  already  there,  and  Edyth 
accompanied  them  in  an  opening  selection.  The 
storm  increased  in  violence,  and  the  room  be- 
came so  dim  that  it  was  necessary  to  light  the 
gas.  The  first  hymn  was  announced.  The 
little  orchestra  struck  up  a  bright,  familiar  air. 
A  score  of  boys  began  to  beat  time  with  their 
feet,  some  hummed  the  melody  vigorously,  and 
one  or  two  whistled  it.  Mr.  Sanborn  cheerfully 
but  firmly  called  for  order,  and  when  perfect 
silence  was  obtained  nodded  to  the  organist  to 
proceed  once  more.  Edyth  was  surprised  at  the 
singing,  it  was  so  hearty  and  musical  and  inspir- 
ing. It  thrilled  her,  too,  to  think  of  these  poor 
children  of  the  street  learning  to  praise  God. 

She  was  radiantly  happy  to  have  a  part  in 
the  service,  all  unconscious  that  she  looked 
lovelier  and  a  good  deal  more  satisfactory  to 

human  view  than  St.  Cecilia  herself.    Her  clear 
343 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

eyes  brimmed  with  light,  and  her  cheeks  were 
flushed  by  the  novelty  and  pleasure  of  the  situ- 
ation. During  the  second  verse  of  the  song  she 
was  aware  that  somebody  had  come  in,  had 
taken  off  a  heavy  ulster  and  spread  it  on  a  chair 
near  a  register,  and  now  was  standing  with  fold- 
ed arms  by  the  door  regarding  her  with  an  in- 
terest that  was  too  self-forgetful  to  be  an  of- 
fense. For  a  second  her  eyes  were  drawn  in 
that  direction.  Across  the  throng  of  rumpled, 
restless  heads  she  encountered  that  searching, 
masterful,  gentle  gaze  of  restrained  and  reverent 
surprise,  and  in  that  instant  one  pure  and  lumi- 
nous soul  recognized  another,  and  life  had  be- 
come suddenly  transfigured.  The  tall,  broad- 
shouldered,  clean-shaven  man  by  the  door  made 
his  waj  slowly  down  the  narrow  aisle  during  the 
last  verse  of  the  hymn,  laying  a  kindly  hand  on 
more  than  one  shabby  shoulder;  but  Edyth's 
attention  was  discreetly  fixed  upon  the  notes 
before  her,  and  she  did  not  look  up  even  when 
the  stranger  reached  the  platform,  and  she  heard 
Mr.  Sanborn  say: 

"We  will  be  led  in  prayer  by  our  assistant 

pastor,  the  Eev.  Mr.  Leigh." 
344 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

In  the  meantime  Miss  Hetty  Sanborn's 
glances  had  not  been  confined  to  her  music, 
she  had  somewhat  haughtily  acknowledged  her 
father's  introduction  to  Miss  Wilsey,  and  ever 
and  anon  she  had  scrutinized  the  strange  organ- 
ist with  an  unfriendly  eye.  With  a  woman's 
keen  observance  of  quality  and  style  she  noted 
the  velveteen  toque  and  the  cheap  jacket  and 
gown.  She  saw  that  the  hands,  when  released 
from  the  black  woolen  gloves  that  made  her  flesh 
creep  just  to  look  upon,  were  exquisitely  shaped 
and  yery  soft  and  white,  except  that  the  index 
finger  of  the  left  one  was  roughened  and  dis- 
colored by  needlework.  She  studied  the  refined, 
beautiful  face,  and  abundant  shining  hair,  and 
she  knew  that  no  young  lady  in  St.  Christo- 
pher's could  compare  in  attractiveness  with  this 
apparently  poor  sewing  girl.  Miss  Sanborn  had 
also  seen  the  young  minister  enter,  and  his 
involuntary  slight  start  of  surprise  when  he  saw 
the  stranger,  and  subsequent  rapt  study  of  the 
girl's  face,  had  not  escaped  her  lively  but  half- 
concealed  attention.  The  regular  organist,  Miss 
Isabel  Eand,  was  her  intimate  friend,  the 

daughter  of  the  richest  man  in  St.   Christo- 
345 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

pher's.  She  was  a  stylish,  rather  handsome 
brunette,  strong-willed  and  fiery-tempered,  and 
Miss  Sanborn  knew  her  deep  interest  in  Mr. 
Leigh  and  her  fair  chances  of  success.  Miss 
Sanborn  was  already  engaged  to  be  married  to 
Mr.  Alton,  the  young  man  who  played  the  flute, 
a  performance  that  he  laid  as  his  weekly  sacri- 
fice at  the  feet  of  his  prospective  father-in-law, 
whose  particular  delight  next  to  a  flourishing 
business  was  this  mission  in  the  slums.  Miss 
Sanborn  watched  with  disapproval  as  she  saw 
Miss  Wilsey  deputed  to  teach  a  class,  and  she 
determined  to  combat  any  favorable  impressions 
that  had  been  made  upon  her  father. 

Such  was  the  scarcity  of  teachers  that  session 
that  both  the  minister  and  Mr.  Sanborn  were 
obliged  to  do  duty  in  that  capacity,  and  Mr. 
Leigh  had  no  opportunity  to  inquire  about  the 
young  lady  who  had  presided  at  the  organ.  His 
class  was  across  the  aisle  and  a  little  back  from 
hers,  and  he  did  not  neglect  his  chance  to  ob- 
serve the  fine  poise  of  her  head  and  the  ripples 
of  her  bright  hair  where  they  broke  into  a  few 
stray,  sunny  little  curls  around  her  face  and 

neck.     Neither  he   nor   Mr.   Sanborn  gave   a 
34G 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

thought  to  the  quality  of  her  clothes,  for  she 
wore  them  like  a  princess,  and  would  have  glori- 
fied a  linsey  gown.  The  rough  street  arabs 
huddled  around  her  in  open-mouthed  fascina- 
tion, and  forgot  for  a  time  their  mutual  gibes 
and  sundry  pinches  and  pin-stickings.  The 
Kev.  Mr.  Leigh  had  the  idea  that  the  visitor 
was  some  friend  of  the  Sanborns  from  a  dis- 
tance, but  he  wondered  that  she  had  not  been  in 
their  pew  at  morning  worship  in  St.  Christo- 
pher's. The  last  hymn  was  no  sooner  sung  than 
he  turned  toward  Mr.  Sanborn  to  question  him, 
but  that  estimable  man  was  already  in  the 
clutches  of  an  elderly  lady  who  wished  to  con- 
sult him  concerning  some  difficulty  that  had 
arisen  in  her  class  of  girls.  Edyth  would  not 
linger  a  moment,  and  bowing  distantly  to  Miss 
Sanborn,  whose  hostility  she  felt,  she  made  her 
way  to  the  door,  Mr.  Sanborn  calling  to  her : 

"Many  thanks,  Miss  Wilsey.  Come  again ; 
we  need  you." 

She  received  her  mackintosh  and  umbrella 
from  ihe  hand  of  the  janitor,  and  was  strug- 
gling into  the  former  when  a  cheery,  resonant 
voice  said: 

347 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"Allow  me !" 

The  cloak  slipped  lightly  over  her  shoulders, 
and  the  minister,  for  it  was  he,  bowed  gravely 
at  her  quiet  word  of  thanks,  and  handed  her 
the  umbrella.  He  was  fond  of  nice  personal 
belongings  himself,  and  while  he  had  not  noticed 
her  dress  and  jacket,  he  observed  that  the  um- 
brella was  cotton  with  a  cheap,  clumsy  handle, 
very  unlike  the  dainty  affair  of  silk,  silver,  and 
pearl  that  he  had  sometimes  had  the  pleasure  of 
holding  above  the  head  of  Miss  Isabel  Rand. 
It  grated  on  his  sense  of  fitness  as  a  pine  frame 
on  a  choice  oil  portrait  might  have  done.  He 
saw  the  girl  turn  and  pass  out  into  the  stormy 
winter  twilight,  and,  battling  a  strong  desire  to 
go  after  her,  as  if  he  had  a  foreordained  right 
to  protect  her,  he  wheeled  around  and  found 
himself  face  to  face  with  Miss  Hetty  Sanborn. 
There  was  a  malicious  light  in  her  blue  eyes. 

"We  had  a  new  organist  to-day,"  she  said. 

"Not  a  friend  of  yours,  Miss  Sanborn?" 

"No,  indeed  !  An  entire  stranger,  and  a  very 
forward  person  too.  She  fairly  thrust  herself 
upon  us !" 

"Daughter,"    said    Mr.    Sanborn,    who    had 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

joined  them  in  time  to  hear  the  remark,  "you 
are  unjust.  Miss  Wilsey  appeared  to  me  like  a 
very  modest  and  refined  young  lady.  I  went  to 
her  myself,  as  you  saw,  and  asked  for  her  as- 
sistance." 

"So  her  name  is  Wilsey,"  said  the  minister  to 
himself. 

"You'll  drive  up  with  us,  dominie  ?"  said  the 
superintendent,  as  he  opened  the  door  of  his 
carriage.  "There's  plenty  of  room,  you  know. 
Eoom  at  the  tea  table  too !" 

"Thank  you,  Mr.  Sanborn,"  replied  Mr. 
Leigh,  "but  as  there  are  some  of  our  mission 
people  ill  I  shall  be  busy  in  this  neighborhood 
until  the  evening  meeting." 

"I'm  afraid  you'll  not  have  much  help  from 
St.  Christopher's  to-night,"  called  out  Mr. 
Alton  as  the  carriage  door  slammed  on  the 
coziness  of  the  soft  cushions  and  luxurious  fur 
robes,  and  the  restive  horses  leaped  forward  at 
the  coachman's  word. 

The  massive,  athletic  figure  of  the  young 
divine  strode  away  in  the  face  of  the  driving 
snow,  walking  block  after  block  with  his  hat 

pulled  down  low  over  his  eyes,  and  his  hands 
23  349 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

buried  deep  in  his  overcoat  pockets.  He  en- 
joyed the  force  of  the  blast,  the  whirling 
wraiths  that  swept  around  him,  the  wild  elation 
of  the  fierce  night.  The  rush  of  the  storm 
seemed  to  give  expression  and  relief  to  the 
tumult  that  possessed  his  soul,  in  the  midst  of 
which  a  strange  new  tongue  was  calling  upon  all 
that  was  within  him  to  bless  the  Lord.  It  was 
the  voice  of  love,  silent  until  now  amid  the  other 
voices  that  had  clamored  for  the  attention  of  a 
distraught  and  hard-wrestling  life;  but  he  rec- 
ognized the  belated  message,  and  thrilled  with 
the  sweetness,  the  suddenness,  the  mystery,  the 
suspense  that  it  had  brought.  He  turned  into  a 
side-street,  then  down  and  back  toward  the 
deserted  chapel.  Conscientious  usually  to  the 
point  of  injustice  to  himself,  he  had  entirely 
forgotten  his  sick  people  for  the  time  being. 

He  had  his  own  key  to  the  chapel  door,  and  let 
himself  into  the  empty  room.  He  lighted  the 
gas,  and  walked  around  and  closed  the  windows, 
and  then  went  back  and  stood  near  the  door. 
It  was  here  that  he  had  caught  his  first  glimpse 
of  her,  sitting  at  the  organ,  with  her  lovely,  sensi- 
tive face  aglow  with  the  pure  delight  of  self-for- 
350 


THE  KIXG'S  GOLD 

getful  helpfulness.  It  was  here  that  his  glance 
had  unconsciously  to  himself  compelled  that 
momentary  flashing  encounter  of  her  eyes  with 
his  own.  He  recalled  the  slight  matter  of  the 
mackintosh,  and  the  gentle  dignity,  so  free  from 
all  coquetry,  with  which  she  had  thanked  him. 
He  thought  of  the  cheap  umbrella  that  had 
proclaimed  her  poverty.  He  went  to  the  outer 
door  and  stared  out  into  the  night  that  had 
swallowed  her  up.  Who  was  she?  Where  was 
she?  What  roof  among  the  thousands  of  that 
great  city  sheltered  her  shining  head?  Would 
she  ever  come  again  to  the  mission?  He  re- 
turned to  the  room  and  paced  up  and  down  with 
his  arms  behind  him,  while  he  rapidly  reviewed 
his  life. 

He  was  descended  from  stanch  Pilgrim  stock. 
For  generations  his  ancestors  had  feared  God 
and  had  lived  clean,  thrifty,  honest  lives.  They 
had  been  well-housed,  well-fed,  and  well-in- 
formed. Riches  and  honors  had  often  fallen  to 
his  family  on  either  side;  and  yet  deaths  and 
misfortunes  had  marked  Winthrop  Leigh's  early 
years  with  isolation  and  poverty.  Against  the 

dark  background  of  those  times  of  somber  hard- 
351 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

ships  and  thronging  cares  his  mother's  face  and 
form  shone  out,  a  pathetic  figure  too  fragile  to 
breast  the  tempest  that  had  burst  so  pitilessly 
upon  her,  but  whose  delicate  flesh  veiled  a  spirit 
devout,  tender,  unconquerable  in  its  faith  in 
God,  so  that  she  had  transmitted  to  her  son  an 
ideal  of  purity  and  consecration  that  had  blazed 
like  a  star  upon  his  rough  and  lonely  path.  Year 
after  year  he  had  struggled  and  prayed  and 
worked,  wrestling  his  college  education  from  the 
grim  clutch  of  want,  and  hewing  his  upward 
steps  out  of  the  solid  resistance  of  circumstances 
that  were  like  a  precipitous  cliff  in  front  of  his 
path.  He  believed  in  the  God  of  his  fathers  with 
a  practical  but  buoyant  faith.  He  believed  in 
the  coming  King,  and  in  the  kingdom  that  can- 
not be  moved.  To  be  approved  of  God,  to  ad- 
vance the  interests  of  the  kingdom  among  men, 
were  the  dominant  motives  of  his  life.  At  col- 
lege and  at  the  theological  school  he  had  stood 
head  and  shoulders  physically,  mentally,  and 
spiritually  above  every  man  in  his  class.  They 
had  named  him  "Winthrop  the  Great,"  but  his 
genuine  humility  was  greater  than  his  brilliant 

talents,  and  no  man  was  even  secretly  jealous 
352 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

of  his  honors.  His  serious  nature  was  shot 
through  and  through  with  sunlight.  His  piety 
was  not  of  the  anaemic,  moldy  sort,  but  natural 
and  breezy,  and  refreshing  as  a  bright  October 
day.  He  played  a  game  of  ball  as  heartily 
unto  the  Lord  as  he  delved  at  his  Greek  and 
Hebrew.  He  had  an  intense  love  for  the  poor, 
an  intelligent  affection  born  of  hard  personal 
experience  and  free  from  any  sickly  sentiment. 
He  had  dreams  of  devoting  his  days  to  the  light- 
ening of  their  burdens  of  ignorance  and  misery. 
At  thirty  he  was  the  pastor  of  a  small  country 
church,  and  it  was  there,  while  on  his  summer 
vacation,  that  the  Eev.  Robert  Jewell,  pastor 
of  St.  Christopher's,  met  the  young  man,  loved 
him,  and  desired  him  for  his  assistant. 

Winthrop  Leigh  found  himself  shortly  in  a 
position  much  more  dangerous  to  his  Christian 
character  than  the  old  days  of  sacrifice  and  pain- 
ful progress.  He  leaped  at  once  into  warm 
social  favor  in  one  of  the  wealthiest  and  most  ex- 
clusive religious  circles  in  the  metropolis;  but 
he  managed  to  maintain  an  impersonal  and 
courteous  course,  and  never  allowed  an  attract- 
ive invitation  to  come  between  him  and  hi? 
353 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

work.  His  principal  duties  were  in  connection 
with  the  mission,  and  under  his  labors  it  had 
been  meeting  with  renewed  success,  becoming  a 
pet  hobby  with  several  of  the  young  ladies  of  the 
church.  Of  these  he  had  been  thrown  espe- 
cially with  Miss  Isabel  Eand.  Her  father  was 
the  principal  supporter  of  St.  Christopher's.  He 
paid  out  of  his  own  pocket  for  the  operatic 
soprano  and  tenor  of  the  quartet,  he  rented 
the  most  expensive  pew,  and  laid  a  crisp  ten-dol- 
lar note  on  the  plate  every  Sunday  morning, 
and  gave  largely  to  the  benevolences.  His  will 
and  his  taste  predominated  in  every  matter  con- 
nected with  the  church,  from  the  choice  of  a 
preacher  to  the  pattern  and  color  of  a  new 
carpet. 

He  had  taken  a  great  fancy  to  the  Eev.  Win- 
throp  Leigh,  who  was  an  enlivening  comrade 
for  a  dinner  or  a  drive,  and  so  he  was  a  willing 
ally  when  his  wife,  in  the  privacy  of  their  sleep- 
ing room,  besought  his  good  offices  in  a  person- 
ally conducted  campaign  against  "the  knight 
in  shining  armor,"  as  Isabel  called  Mr.  Leigh, 
so  distant  he  seemed  with  all  his  cordiality, 

so  invulnerable  to  all  her  arts.    Isabel  veiled  her 
354 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

desires  and  intentions  behind  a  very  charming 
air  of  simple  friendliness,  and  finding  that  the 
mission  was  the  absorbing  theme  of  Mr.  Leigh's 
thoughts,  she  threw  herself  heartily  into  the 
work,  presiding  at  the  chapel  organ,  teaching 
a  class  of  embryo  bandits  in  the  Sunday  school, 
and  even  carrying  fruits,  soups,  and  jellies  to 
the  sick  poor.  Winthrop  was  so  free  from  self- 
conceit  that  he  did  not  view  all  this  energy  of 
devotion  as  having  any  relation  to  himself, 
and  he  had  never  given  Miss  Rand  a  word  or 
look  that  she  could  possibly  construe  into  a 
fond  intent.  He  was  kindly  and  frank  and 
cheery,  delighting  in  music  and  always  ready 
to  sing  the  tenor  in  a  duet,  or  to  play  a  game  of 
chess,  or  to  read  aloud,  maintaining  a  bright, 
unaffected,  unsentimental  friendliness  that  was 
the  despair  of  the  Rand  family,  especially  as 
his  manner  was  just  the  same  in  a  dozen  other 
families  where  he  was  continually  invited  and 
made  welcome  to  the  best  the  house  afforded. 
Hope  had  sprung  up  in  many  a  maiden's  breast, 
but  they  were  hopes  that,  like  orchids,  fed  on 
air,  so  far  as  the  discreet  and  impartial  young 

preacher  was  concerned.     The  Rev.  Dr.  Jewell 
355 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

had  often  marveled  at  the  remarkable  naviga- 
tion that  had  guided  so  young  a  mariner  among 
the  rocks  and  shallows  of  ministerial  popular- 
ity with  such  safety. 

Winthrop  Leigh  had  only  thought  dimly  of 
marriage  as  a  future  possibility.  He  had  been 
too  busy  and  too  poor  to  give  any  serious  con- 
sideration to  the  subject.  It  was  not  definitely 
of  marriage  that  he  was  thinking  now,  as  he 
walked  the  deserted  aisles  of  the  little  chapel. 
He  was  only  conscious  that  suddenly  along  the 
prosaic  roadside  of  life  a  glorious  flower  had 
burst  into  bloom,  filling  the  air  with  fragrance 
and  his  heart  with  this  sweet  misery.  He  paced 
to  and  fro  for  an  hour.  The  storm  was  evident- 
ly abating.  Would  she  come  to  the  evening  serv- 
ice ?  And  if  she  did  could  he  have  the  courage 
to  speak  to  her  ?  Then  he  stood  off,  as  it  were, 
from  himself,  and  ridiculed  this  stalwart,  prac- 
tical fellow,  so  quickly  bereft  of  the  calm  in- 
difference of  years,  and  driven  into  a  two-hour 
reverie  by  the  sight  of  a  new  face.  He  went  up 
to  the  desk,  selected  some  hymns  for  the  coming 
service,  looked  over  the  Scripture  verses  that  he 

had  chosen  for  a  brief  exposition,  and  tried  to 
356 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

thrust  aside  the  experience  of  the  afternoon  as 
though  it  had  not  been,  not  that  he  might  for- 
get, but  that  it  might  rush  back  into  his 
thoughts  ever  and  anon  with  a  thrill  of  newborn 
joy.  When  the  janitor  returned  to  make  the 
room  ready  for  the  evening  he  was  surprised  to 
see  the  Kev.  Mr.  Leigh  already  on  the  platform 
busily  engaged  with  his  notebook  and  pencil. 

"A  hard  night,  William?"  said  the  minister, 
looking  up  brightly. 

"Xot  snowin'  now,  sir,  but  terrible  under 
foot." 

Among  the  first  to  arrive  were  two  raga- 
muffins who  were  not  in  the  habit  of  attending 
any  other  meeting  than  the  Sunday  school. 
They  had  been  in  Miss  Wilsey's  class  that  after- 
noon. 

* 

"Say,  mister,"  said  one  of  them  to  the  jani- 
tor, "where's  thet  leddy  what  taught  our  class 
to-day  ?  She's  a  brick,  she  is.  We  thought  we'd 
come  an'  git  a  look  at  her." 

"0,  there  won't  no  ladies  git  out  to-night," 
said  the  janitor.  "The  walkin's  too  bad/' 

The  minister's  good  common  sense  assented 

to  the  truth  of  the  janitor's  statement,  but  his 
357 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

heart  fell  even  lower  than  those  of  the  expectant 
urchins. 

"Wai,  we  won't  stay  fer  no  preachin'  an' 
prayin',  will  we,  Jim?"  said  the  first  speaker. 
"She's  better'n  all  the  talk;  she's  most  as  good 
as  Christmas,  ain't  she  ?" 

"You  het !"  replied  Jim,  vigorously. 

"Better  stay,  boys,"  said  the  minister;  but 
they  were  off  like  a  flash. 

Even  in  defiance  of  his  judgment,  at  every 
opening  of  the  door  through  that  evening  Mr. 
Leigh's  heart  beat  more  quickly,  until  the  clock 
on  the  wall  pointed  to  half-past  eight,  and  the 
meeting  was  closed. 

As  for  Edyth,  she  had  returned  after  Sunday 
school  to  her  home  over  the  German  grocery, 
wrapped  in  an  abstraction  that  caused  her  to  put 
her  wet  umbrella  on  the  sitting-room  table, 
and  her  hat  on  the  nickel  image  that  surmounted 
the  stove. 

"Why,  Edyth !"  exclaimed  Miss  West.  "Has 
the  mission  school  turned  your  head?" 

"No,  Aunt  Helen,  but  it  was  a  very  novel 
experience  for  me.  I'll  tell  you  all  about  it 

when  I  get  into  my  tea  gown  and  slippers." 
358 


THE  KIXG'S  GOLD 

Edyth  longed  just  then  for  a  room  of  her 
very  own.  She  wanted  to  escape  for  a  little 
from  even  that  loving,  solicitous,  motherly  gaze. 
There  was  an  anxious  look  on  Helen's  face  as 
she  stepped  back  into  the  dining  room  to  make 
the  tea  and  toast.  She  feared  that  her  niece's 
nerves  were  being  overstrained,  for  the  girl's 
eyes  were  unnaturally  bright,  her  cheeks  were 
flushed,  and  her  manner  was  quite  constrained. 
At  the  tea  table  she  talked  rapidly  but  enter- 
tainingly of  the  music,  the  superintendent,  Miss 
Sanborn,  and  the  boys  that  she  had  tried  to 
teach,  but  never  a  word  of  the  minister. 

"Wasn't  the  assistant  pastor  there  ?"  said  Miss 
West. 

"0,  yes,"  replied  Edyth,  carelessly.  "His 
name  is  Leigh,  the  Rev.  Winthrop  Leigh.  He 
seems  like  a  worker.  I  could  see,"  she  went  on 
hastily,  "that  Miss  Sanborn  did  not  favor  my 
being  there.  She  is  a  stylish,  proud  girl,  and 
evidently  considers  me  quite  beneath  her  notice. 
This  would  be  intolerable  to  me  if  my  apparent 
position  were  my  real  one.  As  it  is,  I  do  not 
mind  her  snubbing  at  all." 

They  retired  early  that  night,  and  long  after 
359 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

Miss  West  was  asleep  Edyth  lay  awake  reasoning 
with  and  reproving  her  heart,  that  had  dared  to 
vibrate  like  a  harp  to  distant  music,  as  if  in  the 
chapel  of  a  royal  castle  some  master  hand  had 
struck  a  wondrous  chord  on  the  organ  keys  and 
aloft  in  iny  lady's  bower  a  golden  lyre  had 
tremblingly  responded  without  mortal  touch. 

The  following  Tuesday  morning  the  Rev. 
Winthrop  Leigh  was  busy  among  the  mission 
families,  and  at  noon  was  hurrying  to  catch  a 
street  car  that  would  carry  him  home  to 
luncheon.  He  was  still  walking  on  enchanted 
ground,  and  was  looking  forward  to  another 
glimpse  of  Miss  Wilsey.  As  he  turned  a  corner 
he  met  a  bevy  of  boisterous,  loud-mannered 
young  women,  who  had  just  come  down  the  steps 
of  a  dressmaker's  house. 

"All  aboard  fer  grub !"  cried  a  shrill,  pene- 
trating voice. 

It  was  Snap's  rasping  tone  that  pierced  the 
air.  Mr.  Leigh  involuntarily  glanced  at  the 
speaker  with  a  feeling  of  pity  and  disgust,  and 
saw  at  her  side  the  graceful  figure  and  lovely 
face  of  Edyth  Wilsey.  She  gave  him  no  sign 

of   recognition,    except    the    vivid    flame    that 
360 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

crimsoned  her  cheeks.  She  knew  that  he  was 
judging  her  by  her  company.  His  long  train- 
ing in  self-control  had  not  prevented  a  look  of 
swift  and  overpowering  condemnation.  He  had 
found  the  nightingale  consorting  with  crows. 
Was  this  the  girl  whose  face  he  had  foolishly 
enshrined  in  the  holy  place  of  his  thoughts  and 
affections?  A  cold  perspiration  stood  upon  his 
forehead.  He  walked  on  dazed  and  miserable, 
let  his  car  pass  him,  hailed  the  next  one  as  in  a 
dream,  and  sat  with  folded  arms  and  bowed 
head  until  his  corner  was  reached.  Edyth's 
gentle  dignity  and  reserve  of  Sunday  afternoon, 
when  he  had  assisted  her  with  her  storm  cloak, 
still  appealed  to  his  favor. 

"But  I  did  not  hear  her  speak !"  he  groaned 
mentally.  "She  might  tear  our  mother  tongue 
to  shreds.  0,  what  an  idiot  I  have  been !  Thank 
heaven,  no  one  knows  but  myself !" 

The  next  night  was  the  time  for  the  weekly 
prayer  meeting  at  the  mission.  Mr.  Leigh  was 
invited  to  the  Rands'  for  dinner  with  Hetty 
Sanborn  and  Mr.  Alton  and  several  other  of  the 
young  people,  who  would  make  a  party  to  go  to 

the  downtown  service.    Isabel  Eand  was  looking 
361 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

really  brilliant  in  a  handsome  fur-trimmed  gown 
of  crimson  and  black,  and  her  table-talk 
sparkled  with  wit.  Mr.  Leigh  sat  opposite  to 
her  at  dinner.  He  realized  for  the  first  time 
that  an  alliance  with  her  would  be  irreproach- 
able in  every  respect.  Culture,  wealth,  social 
position  were  all  to  be  reckoned  in  Isabel's  as- 
sets, and  yet,  until  to-night,  nothing  but  fail- 
ure had  stared  her  in  the  face,  so  far  as  the 
coveted  alliance  with  the  minister  was  con- 
cerned. She  was  aware  that  a  sudden  change 
had  come,  and  that  he  was  regarding  her  now 
with  more  special  favor.  She  knew  this  intu- 
itively, although  he  had  not  looked  nor  spoken, 
for  a  woman's  heart  is  more  sensitive  than  a 
barometer. 

Winthrop  Leigh  had  brought  himself  to  be- 
lieve that  his  experience  of  the  previous  Sunday 
had  been  a  sort  of  insane  delusion  projected  by 
the  enemy  as  an  angel  of  light,  perhaps  to 
thwart  his  progress  and  influence.  It  was  com- 
mon talk  that  a  prominent  church  in  Harlem, 
in  which  Mr.  Eand's  brother  and  business  part- 
ner were  leading  spirits,  was  seriously  contem- 
plating extending  a  call  to  the  popular  young 
362 


THE  KIXG'S  GOLD 

minister,  for  their  pulpit  was  to  be  vacated  in 
three  months'  time.  This  was  in  his  mind  as 
he  saw  Isabel's  flashing  eyes  between  the 
gorgeous  blossoms  of  the  long-stemmed  Ameri- 
can Beauty  roses  that  formed  the  centerpiece. 
He  had  begun  to  be  afraid  for  himself.  To  his 
intense  humiliation  and  surprise,  he  had  found 
himself  out  as  liable  to  be  swayed  by  a  swift 
and  unwise  impulse.  Would  it  not  be  better  for 
him  to  be  anchored,  and  that  speedily,  where 
good  sense  and  a  reasonable  regard  for  his 
worldly  prospects  might  dictate?  Did  he  love 
Isabel?  Not  as  he  had  dreamed  of  love.  He 
thrilled  again  with  the  recollection  of  Sunday 
afternoon,  when  he  had  seemed  to  mount  on 
wings  as  an  eagle  into  a  dazzling  atmosphere  of 
bliss.  Then  he  recalled  the  group  of  coarse 
girls,  and  Snap's  voice  and  words,  and  shud- 
dered. That  very  afternoon  he  had  reread 
Emerson  on  "Love,"  with  the  hope  that  the 
philosopher's  calm,  farsighted  treatment  of  the 
seismic  subject  would  clear  his  fervid  brain  and 
slow  his  pulses.  Doubtless  Emerson  was  right, 
and  the  very  essence  of  love  is  expressed  in  "a 

thorough  good  understanding."    Surely  he  could 
363 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

have  that  with  Isabel.  How  heartily  she  had 
entered  into  his  plans  for  the  ignorant  and  sick 
and  poor  people  under  his  care  !  How  womanly 
she  had  been  in  her  ministrations !  She  was 
well-educated,  too,  by  travel  as  well  as  books. 
She  would  advance  his  interests  in  every  way. 
He  would  escort  her  to  the  mission  that  night, 
and  on  their  return  would  give  her  an  oppor- 
tunity to  accept  or  refuse  him.  It  was  not  self- 
appreciation  that  led  him  to  feel  assured  that 
one  who  had  been  always  so  kind  would  not 
turn  away  his  request.  He  longed  to  speak  the 
word  that  would  settle  his  fate,  and  give  him 
rest  from  tormenting  dreams  of  impractical 
felicity.  When  he  helped  Isabel  on  with  her 
rich,  jaunty  seal-skin  jacket,  just  before  they 
started  for  the  mission,  and  caught  her  happy 
little  look  of  thanks  from  beneath  the  brim  of 
her  black-plumed  hat,  he  thought  what  a  really 
pretty,  agreeable,  and  piquant  young  woman  she 
was,  and  commended  himself  for  his  altogether 
sensible  decision. 

As  for  Edyth,  she  had  experienced  a  tem- 
porary annoyance  at  meeting  Mr.  Leigh  under 
the  circumstances  of  Tuesday  noon,  but  her  bet- 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

ter  nature  had  immediately  quelled  the  false 
shame,  and  she  would  not  allow  herself  to  re- 
gret that  he  had  seen  her  walking  with  Snap, 
any  more  than  if  she  had  been  discovered  in  the 
act  of  throwing  a  rope  to  a  drowning  convict. 
The  girls  were  so  happy  that  day  over  their 
palatable  luncheon  that  her  own  heart  over- 
flowed with  the  renewed  satisfaction  of  doing 
good.  There  was  a  basket  of  luscious  oranges 
by  the  door,  with  the  inviting  placard  "Take 
One,"  and  Edyth  was  touched  to  see  how  eagerly 
the  fruit  was  appropriated  and  put  aside  to 
carry  to  a  sick  mother  or  a  little  brother  or 
sister. 

When  the  Rev.  Winthrop  Leigh  with  Miss 
Rand  and  the  rest  of  the  party  entered  the  mis- 
sion that  night  it  was  a  little  late,  as  some  ac- 
cident had  caused  a  blockade  of  the  horse-cars 
which  at  that  time  were  the  principal  means 
of  public  locomotion  in  the  city.  A  sort  of 
right-hand  man,  a  convert  who  kept  a  small 
shoe  shop  near  by,  was  usually  to  be  depended 
upon  to  start  a  praise  service  if  the  regular 
leader  of  the  meeting  failed  to  appear  on  time. 

He  had  looked  about  for  some  one  to  play  the 
21  365 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

organ,  and  the  janitor,  who  remembered  Miss 
Wilsey's  Sunday  performance,  had  pointed  her 
out.  Edyth  was  sitting  beside  her  aunt  when 
the  request  came,  and  she  arose  to  comply,  but 
with  some  reluctance. 

"Do  help  us !"  said  the  precentor,  "for  the 
people  sing  so  much  better  with  the  instru- 
ment." 

Thus  it  happened  that  when  the  minister  ar- 
rived the  people  were  shouting,  "Yield  not  to 
temptation,"  and  Miss  Wilsey  was  playing.  Mr. 
Leigh  felt  almost  angry  at  the  sight  of  the  dis- 
turber of  his  peace.  He  advanced  at  once  to  the 
platform,  followed  by  the  little  company  from 
St.  Christopher's,  and  while  his  head  was  bowed 
in  silent  prayer  Edyth  arose  quietly,  nodded 
slightly  to  Miss  Sanborn,  who  looked  annoyed, 
and  returned  to  her  seat  beside  Miss  West.  Miss 
Eand  took  the  vacant  bench,  and  drew  off  her 
gloves,  displaying  a  pair  of  hands  sparkling 
with  jewels,  and  Mr.  Leigh  announced  a  hymn. 
During  the  singing  he  was  obliged  to  realize 
that  the  spell  of  Sunday  was  not  broken.  His 
eyes  involuntarily  sought  the  poor  sewing  girl. 
Surely  there  could  not  be  a  finer,  sweeter,  purer 


THE  KIXG'S  GOLD 

face,  nor  a  more  dignified  but  gracious  mien. 
He  saw  beside  her  a  woman  in  middle  life,  by 
whom  any  man  might  be  proud  to  sit  in  church 
or  palace.  He  called  on  some  one  to  pray,  but  it 
is  to  be  feared  that  he  heard  but  little  of  the 
petition.  Again  his  soul  was  swept  by  a  resist- 
less tide  of  conviction  that  his  life  was  bound  up 
in  the  bundle  of  life  with  that  of  this  stranger. 
The  thought  of  Isabel  Eand  was  like  a  chip 
drawn  into  the  whirlpool  of  inner  questionings 
and  lost  as  if  it  had  never  been.  During  the 
praj-er  he  regained  his  mental  poise  and  outward 
self-control  sufficiently  to  proceed  calmly  with 
the  meeting,  but  his  relief  was  great  when  he 
saw  the  door  open  to  admit  a  noted  mission 
worker,  who  was  known  to  be  always  ready 
with  a  pointed  address  or  a  stirring  song.  Mr. 
Leigh  invited  him  to  a  chair  on  the  platform, 
and  shortly  announced  that  the  newcomer  would 
make  the  address  of  the  evening. 

Mr.  Leigh  rested  his  elbow  on  a  hymn  book, 
and  shaded  his  eyes  with  his  hand.  Isabel,  who 
had  been  very  conscious  of  a  certain  kindly  so- 
licitude in  his  manner  on  the  way  down,  was 

fluttering  with  hope,  and  stole  a  shy  look  in  his 
367 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

direction,  almost  expecting  to  meet  his  shielded 
glance ;  but  she  perceived  that  he  was  studying 
the  people  directly  in  front  of  him,  and  her 
own  eyes  traveled  over  the  heterogeneous  audi- 
ence, pausing  on  the  faces  of  Miss  West  and  her 
niece.  Hetty  Sanborn  had  told  her  of  the 
organist  pro  tern,  of  the  previous  Sunday,  but 
had  said  nothing  of  the  evident  interest  with 
which  Mr.  Leigh  had  observed  Isabel's  substi- 
tute. Miss  Rand  studied  her  now  in  the  same 
way  that  one  might  take  in  a  fine  "Portrait  of 
a  Lady."  She  was  sensitive  to  delicate  contours 
and  coloring,  and  she  admired  Edyth's  beauty 
in  a  languid  manner,  while  her  thoughts  were  of 
the  minister.  She  was  impressed  that  a  critical 
time  had  come  in  their  friendship. 

After  the  service  Miss  West  and  Edyth  be- 
came hemmed  in  by  a  little  group  of  people  who 
chose  to  exchange  greetings  in  the  center  aisle, 
and  the  minister  reached  the  door  before  them. 
It  was  an  occasional  usage  of  his  to  stand  there 
at  the  close  of  a  meeting  and  speak  to  the  people 
as  they  passed  out.  He  presumed  to-night  on 
his  privilege  of  assistant  pastor,  and  extended 

his  hand  to  Miss  West,  saying: 
368 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"It  is  my  custom  to  greet  strangers  among 
us,  so  pardon  the  liberty  I  take  if  I  express  the 
hope  that  you  are  sufficiently  interested  in  our 
work  to  come  again." 

Helen  West  had  been  looking  at  the  young 
man  all  the  evening  through  a  mist  of  tears. 
In  his  stalwart,  grandly  proportioned  figure,  his 
bright,  manly  face,  his  clear,  deep  rich  voice, 
she  had  recalled  the  lover  of  her  youth,  and  the 
pain  that  faith  and  time  had  dulled  throbbed 
anew  in  her  heart. 

"Yes,"  she  said,  kindly,  laying  her  hand  for 
an  instant  in  his,  "I  have  enjoyed  the  service. 
At  present  it  is  the  place  of  worship  nearest  to 
our  home,  so  we  will  doubtless  be  often  here." 

"Then  may  I  ask  your  name,  madam?"  in- 
quired Mr.  Leigh,  a  small  memorandum  book 
and  pencil  already  in  hand. 

"My  name  is  Miss  West,"  she  responded,  "and 
this  young  lady,"  she  continued,  turning  to 
Edyth,  "is  my  niece,  Miss  Wilsey.  We  are  living 
at  234 Street." 

The  address  caused  Mr.  Leigh  to  break  the 
point  of  his  pencil  on  the  page,  so  heavily  he 

bore  on  it  in  his  surprise,  for  he  knew  the 
369 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

neighborhood  well.  Edyth  had  bowed  slightly 
at  her  aunt's  introduction,  but  she  did  not  offer 
her  hand.  Winthrop  Leigh  was  determined  to 
hear  her  speak,  and  he  said  hurriedly : 

"Miss  Wilsey,  there  are  three  young  women  in 
our  congregation  who  would  form  the  nucleus  of 
a  new  Sunday  school  class  if  they  could  have  a 
suitable  teacher.  Will  you  undertake  the  task  ?" 

Edyth  thought  immediately  that  this  would 
give  her  a  grand  opportunity  to  get  some  of  the 
shopgirls  into  the  mission,  and  she  replied : 

"Perhaps  I  am  not  adapted  to  such  a  class, 
but  I  am  willing  to  make  the  experiment." 

With  a  slight  bow  she  was  gone  almost  before 
Mr.  Leigh  could  utter  his  thanks.  She  had 
spoken,  and  her  voice  was  soft  and  musical,  and 
her  language  unexceptionable !  He  had  feared 
to  hear  two  negatives,  or  a  discordant  "ain't," 
or  a  superfluous  "got"  fall  from  those  perfect 
lips. 

The  throng  about  him  fortunatety  left  him 
no  occasion  for  standing  there  in  a  brown  study 
of  this  mystery.  He  aroused  himself  to  minor 
affairs,  and  shook  hands  right  and  left.  Isabel 

Kand  had  been  chatting  with  her  friends  as 
370 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

they  all  waited  for  Mr.  Leigh.  She  had  watched 
his  interview  with  the  strangers,  but  she  was 
too  happy  in  her  self-confidence  to  see  aught 
but  professional  interest  in  the  brief  conversa- 
tion and  the  entry  in  the  notebook.  She  smiled 
gayly  at  the  minister  as  he  approached  her  at 
last  and  took  her  jacket  from  her  arm,  which  he 
held  upside  down  in  his  effort  to  assist  her. 
He  flushed  at  his  own  awkwardness,  and  she 
misinterpreted  his  abstraction,  and  blushed  her- 
self with  pleasure.  He  realized  that  he  must 
take  Isabel  home,  and  he  dreaded  it.  She  would 
have  loitered  at  the  end  of  the  small  procession 
of  ladies  and  their  escorts,  but  he  managed  to 
gain  a  position  about  midway  of  the  line,  where 
they  had  to  walk  with  some  celerity  to  keep  suf- 
ficiently in  advance  of  the  couple  directly  be- 
hind them. 

Once  seated  on  the  car,  Isabel  noted  a  subtle 
change  in  Mr.  Leigh's  manner.  The  old  remote- 
ness had  returned.  At  Fourteenth  Street,  where 
the  car  was  boarded  by  more  people  than  could 
be  comfortably  seated,  he  resigned  his  seat  to  a 
woman  with  two  babies,  and  to  Isabel's  disgust 

was  obliged  to  stand  until  the  end  of  the  ride. 
371 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

He  rang  the  doorbell  of  the  Eand  mansion,  but 
when  the  door  was  opened  he  politely  declined 
Isabel's  rather  too  cordial  invitation  to  enter, 
excusing  himself  on  a  plea  of  having  to  write 
until  midnight.  Isabel  spent  an  hour  in  a 
rage  of  disappointment  in  her  mother's  room, 
and  finally  retired  in  tears. 

Mr.  Leigh  arrived  at  his  rooms  and  went  to 
work  at  a  competitive  essay  which  he  was  pre- 
paring in  response  to  an  offer  from  a  standard 
magazine ;  but  in  a  few  minutes  he  flung  his  pen 
to  the  farthest  corner  of  the  room,  stretched  out 
his  long  limbs  under  the  table,  and  thrust  his 
hands  into  his  pockets.  His  face  was  perplexed, 
but  lighted  as  by  an  inner  torch.  He  arose,  and 
throwing  open  a  window,  took  long,  deep  inhala- 
tions of  the  crisp  night  air,  flinging  up  his  arms 
as  one  who  would  sweep  aside  barriers  to  free- 
dom. He  had  heard  Miss  West  as  she  vanished 
through  the  chapel  door  say,  "Edyth !"  and  now 
he  said  it  over  and  over,  beneath  his  breath.  A 
poor  girl  certainly,  a  working-girl,  but  a  lady 
born  and  bred,  a  lady  from  her  simple  hat  to  the 
hem  of  her  quiet  gown,  a  lady  in  looks,  in  man- 
ner, in  word,  and  in  reticence  !  But  what  of  the 
372 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

terrible  girls  with  whom  he  had  met  her  ?  And 
what  of  her  home  in  a  beastly  neighborhood 
rank  with  filth  and  wickedness  ?  He  could  not 
recall  a  decent-looking  house  on  that  street. 
Late  into  the  night  he  wondered  and  dreamed. 
He  was  thankful  that  he  had  not  carried  out 
his  philosophic  resolve  toward  Isabel  Rand.  She 
was  a  tulip,  gorgeous  and  stately,  but  who  ever 
desired  to  gather  tulips  to  his  heart  or  bury  his 
face  in  their  flaring,  scentless  cups  of  scarlet 
and  gold  ?  Edyth  suggested  the  flowers  that  we 
love,  whose  fragrance,  floating  over  garden 
walls  in  a  foreign  city,  would  fill  the  eyes  of  a 
wanderer  with  tears  of  remembrance  and  long- 
ing for  home. 

The  next  morning  the  Eev.  Winthrop  Leigh 
was  seized  with  an  unusual  zest  for  visiting  the 
people  in  the  mission  district,  although  it  was 
not  his  regular  day  for  such  work.  He  turned 
the  corner  of  the  squalid  street  where  Edyth 
Wilsey  had  her  home,  and  walked  by  the  house 
on  the  opposite  side.  He  saw  the  basement 
grocery,  the  dilapidated  entrance,  the  motley 
array  of  placards  in  the  curtainless  first-floor 

windows ;  but  a  story  higher  there  were  shining 
373 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

panes  and  snowy  draperies  and  brightly  bloom- 
ing plants,  an  oasis  of  cleanliness  and  beauty 
in  a  howling  wilderness  of  repulsive  sights.  He 
went  on  his  way  more  mystified  than  ever,  but 
looking  forward  to  a  possible  opportunity  to 
make  a  semi-pastoral  call  before  many  days 

should  pass. 

374 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 


CHAPTER   XII 

EDYTH  broached  the  subject  of  the  Sunday 
school  at  the  Thursday  Evening  Club.  Some  of 
the  girls  were  Roman  Catholics,  and  not  dis- 
posed to  attend ;  but  Louise  and  Ann,  Lizzie  and 
Maggie,  agreed  to  meet  her  at  the  chapel  on  the 
following  Sunday  afternoon. 

Edyth  was  waiting  with  Lizzie  for  the  others 
in  the  vestibule  when  Mr.  Leigh  arrived.  His 
eyes  brightened  as  he  saw  her,  and  he  stepped 
forward  with  outstretched  hand.  His  strong, 
kindly  grasp  seemed  to  convey  assurance  and 
protection  to  the  brave  girl  in  her  unconven- 
tional position.  Mr.  Leigh  spoke  cheerfully  and 
without  embarrassment. 

"Very  glad  to  see  you,  Miss  Wilsey.  It  is  the 
old  story  of  the  white  harvest  and  the  few  avail- 
able sickles." 

Lizzie  had  shrunk  behind  Edyth  into  a  corj 
ner,  where  she  was  speedily  joined  by  Ann, 
Louise,  and  Maggie,  who  had  peered  in  at  the 
door,  and  then  made  a  dash  for  their  comrade. 

"I  have  ventured,"  said  Edyth  to  the  min- 
375 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

ister,  "to  invite  these  shopmates  of  mine  to  join 
the  new  class  of  which  you  spoke  on  Wednesday 
night." 

With  inward  amusement  she  saw  him  wince  a 
little  at  the  word  "shopmates."  She  turned 
toward  the  confused  and  giggling  quartet  be- 
hind her,  saying  cordially : 

"Girls,  let  me  present  you  to  the  Kev.  Mr. 
Leigh." 

They  came  forward  awkwardly,  and  she  spoke 
each  name  clearly,  and  Mr.  Leigh  welcomed 
them  pleasantly  and  said  that  he  was  expecting 
the  new  Bible  class  to  be  a  great  addition  to  the 
school.  He  invited  them  to  the  chairs  that  had 
been  assigned  by  the  superintendent.  Awaiting 
the  teacher  were  two  other  girls,  who  were  in- 
troduced to  Miss  Wilsey  as  the  Misses  Martin. 
They  were  shy,  sad-looking  girls,  not  long  from 
the  country.  They  were  employed  in  a  paper- 
box  factory  on  small  wages.  They  boarded  with 
an  aunt  not  far  from  the  mission.  Edyth  took 
her  place  at  the  end  of  the  row,  with  a  humble 
gladness  of  privilege.  She  felt  that  she  knew 
almost  as  little  of  the  word  of  God  as  these 

whom  she  was  invited  to  teach,  but  she  had  care- 
376 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

fully  prepared  the  lesson  for  the  day,  and  se- 
cured their  eager  interest  from  the  first.  Just 
before  the  close  of  the  session  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Leigh  came  down  the  aisle  and  paused  at  her 
side. 

"I  must  talk  with  you  about  this  class,"  said 
he.  "May  I  see  you  at  your  home?" 

"I  am  always  at  home  on  Thursday  even- 
ings," she  replied. 

"I  want  to  consider  Miss  West  and  yourself 
as  a  part  of  my  flock,  so  if  I  claim  a  pastor's 
privilege  I  hope  it  will  not  be  regarded  as  an 
intrusion." 

"You  will  be  truly  welcome,  Mr.  Leigh,"  she 
said,  quietly. 

As  she  spoke  she  lifted  her  clear  gray  eyes 
for  a  second  to  his  face,  withdrawing  them  in 
sweet  inner  confusion  before  the  sudden  flash 
of  his  own.  Again  an  electric  message  had  sped 
between  these  two,  and  each  went  on  through 
the  rest  of  the  day  in  the  conscious  joy  of  the 
unspoken  word. 

Edyth  invited  the  Martin  girls  to  go  home  to 
tea  with  her.  As  they  wished  to  inform  their 
aunt  of  their  whereabouts,  their  new  teacher 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

went  with  them  to  the  door  of  their  home  and 
then  escorted  them  to  her  own  door.  They 
were  lonely,  homesick  for  the  pretty  village  of 
their  childhood  where  they  knew  everybody,  and 
discouraged  by  the  long  hours,  hard  work,  and 
small  pay  of  the  confining  factory.  Edyth  drew 
their  whole  story  from  them,  a  commonplace 
tale  enough.  The  father  had  earned  good  pay 
as  an  engineer,  and  the  family  had  lived  up  to 
the  limit  of  their  income.  They  had  had  a 
very  comfortable  home  and  many  little  luxuries. 
When  the  girls  left  school  they  helped  their 
mother  about  the  house  and  "had  a  good  time" 
among  the  other  young  people  of  the  place. 
The  father  had  been  killed,  the  mother  had  died 
not  long  after  from  the  effects  of  the  shock,  and 
there  was  nothing  for  the  girls.  Their  father's 
sister  had  offered  to  share  her  small  home  with 
them  if  they  could  get  employment  near  by. 
Her  husband  kept  a  small  butter  and  cheese 
store,  and  they  lived  in  the  rooms  over  it.  The 
girls  had  been  interested  in  a  church  in  the 
country,  but  now  they  had  lost  faith  and  cour- 
age. Mr.  Leigh  had  come  across  them  in  his 

round  of  visiting,  and  had  persuaded  them  to 
378 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

join  the  mission  school.  Edytli  told  them  about 
the  Thursday  Evening  Club,  and  invited  them 
to  come  to  the  next  meeting.  As  they  sat  in  her 
attractive  sitting  room,  and  bit  by  bit  told  their 
new  friends  of  their  happy  past  and  gloomy 
present,  and  felt  the  sympathetic  charm  of  the 
Christ-life  in  Miss  West  and  her  niece,  new  hope 
crept  into  their  darkened  hearts  and  their  faces 
grew  bright. 

Maggie  came  in  after  tea  to  accompany  the 
two  ladies  to  the  evening  meeting,  and  the 
Martins  went  too,  although  they  had  not  ex- 
pected to  venture  out  from  their  aunt's  house 
at  night,  and  had  dreaded  the  hours  around 
her  dim  kerosene  lamp.  Before  they  left 
Edyth's  home  Hattie  Martin,  the  younger  of 
the  sisters,  impulsively  threw  both  arms  around 
the  neck  of  her  young  hostess  and  said :  ; 

"Dear  Miss  Wilsey,  you  will  never,  never, 
never  know  what  this  visit  has  been  to  us !  It 
is  the  first  happiness  that  we  have  known  in 
many  weeks." 

The  Rev.  Winthrop  Leigh  was  in  his  place  in 
the  desk  when  the  little  group  entered  the  mis- 
sion. He  noted  the  changed  expression  of  the 
379 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

Martins,  and  surmised  that  they  had  been  visit- 
ing Miss  Wilsey.  He  was  singing  vigorously  on 
the  chorus  of  a  hymn,  but  somehow  the  thought 
intruded  itself  between  the  lines  that  he  would 
like  to  have  the  beneficent  influences  of  such  a 
visit  himself,  and  he  was  conscious  that  one  por- 
tion of  his  brain  was  actually  counting  the  days 
until  Thursday. 

Edyth's  cup  of  blessedness  ran  over  that 
night,  for  Maggie  Flynn  rose  for  prayers  before 
the  meeting  had  closed,  and  received  the  for- 
giveness of  her  sins.  There  was  joy  in  the 
mission  like  that  among  the  angels. 

"0,  Miss  Wilsey,"  she  said,  "if  it  had  not  been 
for  you  I  would  have  been  dancing  in  Blakely's 
to-night !" 

Tears  of  gladness  chased  one  another  down 
Edyth's  cheeks  when  Maggie  rose  and  gave  a 
bright  little  testimony  to  the  praise  of  her 
Saviour.  Edyth  had  never  heard  her  own  voice 
in  a  religious  meeting,  and  she  shrank  for  a  few 
moments  from  the  opportunity  that  was  offered 
by  this  portion  of  the  service,  although  on  every 
side  young  and  old  were  speaking  of  the  love 

that  had  redeemed  them  from  the  power  of  the 
380 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

enemy.  At  last  she  gathered  courage  to  stand 
before  them  all,  and  said  softly  but  distinctly : 

"When  I  was  very  far  from  Christ,  when  I 
did  not  know  him  at  all,  this  verse  from  the 
word  of  God  called  my  soul  from  sleep,  taught 
me  his  love,  and  summoned  me  to  his  beautiful 
work:  'He  died  for  all;  that  they  which  live 
should  not  henceforth  live  unto  themselves,  but 
unto  him  who  died  for  them,  and  rose  again.' '' 

Isabel  Rand  was  sitting  at  the  organ.  She 
had  come  that  night  with  a  young  married 
couple  of  her  acquaintance.  She  had  not  given 
up  all  hope  of  Mr.  Leigh,  for  she  felt  assured 
there  was  at  least  no  rival  in  the  field.  She  had 
observed  that  Miss  Wilsey  was  a  beautiful  girl, 
but  she  looked  upon  her  as  a  princess  might 
upon  a  peasant,  and  never  thought  that  the 
minister  could  possibly  be  attracted  to  a  person 
in  so  humble  a  station.  As  Edyth  spoke  Isabel 
paw  an  expression  upon  Mr.  Leigh's  face  that 
started  her  heart  to  beating  wildly  with  sur- 
prise and  anger.  She  had  never  before  seen  him 
look  like  that  at  anyone.  It  was  not  affection 
that  lighted  his  countenance,  neither  was  it  ad- 
miration. It  was  a  divine  glow.  The  girl's 
25  381 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

simple  statement  had  somehow  awakened  a  pro- 
found response  from  the  depths  of  his  nature. 
A  few  lines  from  George  Macdonald  sped 
through  Isabel's  brain : 

"  Two  clear  souls 

That  see  one  truth,  and,  turning,  also  see 
Each  other's  face  glow  in  the  truth's  delight, 
Are  something  more  than  lovers." 

It  was  a  revelation  to  Isabel  that  made  her 
clench  her  small  hands  behind  the  organ.  She 
watched  the  two  narrowly  from  that  moment, 
but  saw  no  look  or  sign  of  interest  pass  between 
them.  When  the  meeting  was  out,  however,  Mr. 
Leigh  went  down  to  speak  a  kindly  word  to 
Maggie  Flynn,  and  Isabel  saw  him  turn  from 
Maggie  to  the  Wilsey  girl,  take  her  hand  for  an 
instant,  and  say  something  that  brought  an 
almost  awe-struck,  tenderly  solemn  interest  to 
her  eyes.  Isabel  would  have  given  her  diamond 
ring  to  have  been  able  to  hear  his  words.  He 
had  said  to  Edyth  with  deep  feeling: 

"The  Scripture  that  you  recited  to-night  was 
my  own  call  to  service.  It  haunted  me  day  and 
night,  everywhere.  It  sounded  like  a  silver 
trumpet  in  my  ears  until  I  yielded  myself  to 

God.    May  he  bless  it  yet  more  to  us  both !" 
382 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

Several  people  were  waiting  to  speak  to  him, 
and  he  talked  with  each  of  them.  Isabel  and 
her  friends  loitered  near  the  platform,  evidently 
waiting  for  him  to  go  home  with  them,  but  he 
stepped  up  to  them  and  said  kindly : 

"Do  not  let  me  detain  you  to-night,  for  there 
is  a  man  here  very  much  under  conviction,  and 
I  am  going  to  stay  a  while  and  help  him." 

Miss  West  and  Edyth  had  already  disap- 
peared, so  Isabel  was  assured  that  Mr.  Leigh  had 
not  excused  himself  to  walk  home  with  them, 
but  it  was  small  comfort  to  her  as  she  rode  up- 
town, absorbed  in  dark  and  bitter  thoughts. 

On  the  next  Wednesday  night  Louise  accom- 
panied Maggie  to  the  mission.  She  was  not  so 
simple-hearted  nor  so  trustful  as  her  friend, 
but  she  made  up  her  mind  to  be  a  Christian, 
and  said  so  in  her  brusque,  determined  way. 

"It's  all  along  of  her/'  she  said  to  Mr.  Leigh 
after  meeting,  pointing  to  Edyth.  "I  never 
knew  how  ugly  I  was  till  she  come  into  the 
shop,  an'  set  there  so  patient  an'  sweet  day  after 
day.  I  can't  never  look  like  her,  never  hev  sech 
hair  nor  sech  a  skin,  but,  the  Lord  helpin'  me, 

I'm  goin'  to  be  like  her  on  the  inside  anyhow." 
383 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"There's  no  one  that  ever  had  more  of  the 
love  of  Jesus  in  the  heart  than  you  can  have, 
Miss  Peters,"  replied  the  minister,  smiling. 

"But  he  ain't  told  me  yet  that  he's  forgive 
me,"  said  Louise,  wistfully. 

"Are  you  sure  of  that?"  questioned  Mr. 
Leigh. 

"Well,  I  don't  feel  as  if  he  had,"  said  Louise. 

Mr.  Leigh  had  opened  his  pocket  Testament. 
"Have  you  confessed  your  sins  ?"  said  he. 

"I've  told  him  that  I'm  awful  sorry  for  every- 
thing I  ever  done  that  warn't  right,  an'  I've 
nothin'  good  to  say  fer  myself  nohow,"  replied 
the  girl.  "But  I  don't  feel  as  Maggie  says  she 
does." 

"But  the  Bible  doesn't  tell  you  you  must  feel 
as  Maggie  does,  or  feel  at  all,  for  that  matter," 
went  on  the  minister.  "Here  is  what  God  says 
about  it  in  his  own  word:  'If  we  confess  our 
sins,  he  is  faithful  and  just  to  forgive  us  our 
sins,  and  to  cleanse  us  from  all  unrighteousness.' 
Now  you've  done  your  part  and  confessed.  Has 
he  kept  his  part  of  the  agreement  ?" 

"He  wouldn't  be  God  if  he  didn't,  would  he, 

sir?" 

384 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"Xo,"  said  Mr.  Leigh,  reverently. 

"And  he  is  God  ?"  asked  Louise,  thoughtfully. 

"  'From  everlasting  to  everlasting/  "  quoted 
the  minister,  with  solemn  emphasis. 

''Then,  of  course,"  said  Louise,  slowly,  "of 
course,  it's  so,  no  matter  if  I  don't  feel  it.  I've 
confessed,  and  he — has  forgiven  me !  0,  glory 
to  God !" 

She  had  sprung  to  her  feet,  her  eyes  shining 
and  uplifted,  her  dark  face  no  longer  lowering 
and  morose,  but  beaming  with  the  same  light 
that  once  shone  on  the  way  to  Damascus. 
Among  the  little  group  who  had  lingered  in  the 
chapel  some  one  started  the  old  hymn,  "There  is 
a  fountain  filled  with  blood,"  and  as  they  sang 
a  girl's  slender  figure  came  timidly  but  decided- 
ly along  the  aisle  from  the  rear  seat  and  knelt 
down  beside  Louise  and  Maggie. 

"It's  Lil !"  whispered  Maggie  to  Miss  Wilsey, 
bending  over  the  familiar  auburn  head  with  a 
loving  touch.  Edyth  could  hardly  believe  the 
witness  of  her  own  eyes.  To  see  three  of  her 
girls  within  one  week  come  to  Christ  filled  her 
with  an  almost  overwhelming  delight.  She 

knelt  and  prayed  for  Lillie,  forgetful  of  all  else 
385 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

except  the  seeking  soul  and  its  welcoming  Sav- 
iour. Miss  West,  too,  poured  forth  a  tender, 
earnest  petition,  and  as  she  prayed  the  peace  of 
God  flowed  into  Lillie's  trusting  heart.  She  had 
not  a  tempestuous  nature  like  Louise,  and  God 
answered  her  in  peace  that  was  not  an  exalta- 
tion, but  an  infinite,  pervading  rest.  She  lifted 
her  tranquil,  tear-wet  face,  and  looked  at  Edyth 
with  an  expression  of  love  unspeakable. 

"He's  my  Jesus,  too,  Miss  Wilsey !"  she  said. 
"I  wouldn't  have  known  him  but  for  you." 

As  Edyth  walked  home  with  her  aunt  that 
night  the  very  flagstones  along  the  wintry 
streets  seemed  to  praise  the  Lord. 

"Aunt  Helen,"  she  said,  under  her  breath, 
"I  hardly  know  whether  I  am  in  the  body  or 
out  of  it.  I  never  knew  before  how  bright  the 
stars  are !" 

The  Rev.  Winthrop  Leigh  overtook  them  as 
they  turned  the  corner.  "This  has  been  a 
blessed  day !"  said  he.  "Miss  Wilsey,  you  are  a 
soul-winner." 

"God  has  blessed  a  few  little  efforts  far  be- 
yond their  desert,"  she  replied.  "I  am  almost 

too  happy  to  live." 

386 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"Better  to  sing,  'Lord,  if  I  may,  I'll  serve 
another  day,' "  said  Miss  West. 

Just  then  they  came  to  the  block  next  to  that 
where  their  home  was  situated.  A  whole  row 
of  shabby  old  buildings  had  begun  to  be  de- 
molished, and  the  sidewalk  was  so  covered  with 
rubbish  that  they  had  to  cross  the  street. 

"I  wonder  what  is  contemplated  here?"  said 
Mr.  Leigh.  "I  am  glad  to  see  so  many  old 
rookeries  disappear,  but  I  cannot  find  out  what 
is  to  be  erected  instead.  I  inquired  of  the  over- 
seer only  yesterday,  but  he  was  singularly  reti- 
cent about  it.'' 

"We  have  heard,"  said  Edyth,  "that  some  one 
is  to  build  a  chapel,  a  home  for  working-girls, 
an  amusement  hall,  and  a  model  tenement 
house,  light  and  sanitary.  I  would  love  to  see 
such  a  scheme  succeed." 

"And  I,"  replied  the  minister,  "but  it  seems, 
as  the  children  sa)r,  'too  good  to  be  true.'  " 

"Well,"  she  said,  "it  ought  not  to  seem  im- 
probable in  a  great  Christian  city  like  this. 
However,  we  can  wait  and  see." 

Mr.  Leigh  bade  the  ladies  good  night  at  their 

door,  saying,  as  he  lifted  his  hat : 
387 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"Miss  West,  I  hope  I  have  your  permission, 
also  Miss  Wilsey's,  to  call  to-morrow  evening.'' 

"I  assure  you,  Mr.  Leigh,  that  a  pastoral 
visit  will  be  a  great  pleasure  to  me." 

"I  think  I  ought  to  tell  you,"  said  Edyth, 
"that  a  small  circle  of  girls  meets  at  our  house 
every  Thursday  night.  You  have  seen  some  of 
them  at  the  chapel.  We  are  on  our  way  to  the 
Pacific  coast,  and  will  stop  in  Chicago  to-mor- 
row evening.  I  hope  you  may  find  it  agreeable 
to  tell  us  something  about  it." 

Mr.  Leigh  was  conscious  of  a  shade  of  dis- 
appointment, for  he  had  hoped  to  find  the  ladies 
at  liberty  from  other  callers.  Nevertheless  he 
said  courteously : 

"Not  many  years  ago  I  spent  a  winter  in  that 
city,  and  you  will  certainly  be  welcome  to  such 
impressions  as  I  have  retained  of  it." 

He  went  on  his  way,  confirmed  in  all  the 
beautiful  thoughts  he  had  indulged  of  Edyth. 
He  could  not  account  for  her  surroundings, 
but  she  herself  seemed  to  him  to  be  the  best 
and  loveliest  of  women,  whose  image  was  indeed 
worthy  to  be  cherished  in  his  heart  beside  that 

dear,  unfading  memory  of  his  sainted  mother. 
388 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

The  next  night  found  him  at  the  girls'  club, 
and  Miss  West  and  Edyth  were  even  more  de- 
lighted than  the  other  members  at  his  vivid, 
brilliant  descriptions  of  that  typical  American 
city  on  Lake  Michigan.  Edyth  had  provided  nu- 
merous photographs,  and  as  he  explained  their 
special  features  he  was  making  a  keen  study  of 
human  nature,  so  that  when  he  took  his  leave, 
in  less  than  an  hour,  he  had  formed  a  just  esti- 
mate of  the  sincerity  and  enterprise  of  the  girls, 
and  was  filled  with  admiration  and  wonder  at 
the  lifting  power  that  one  cultivated,  conse- 
crated young  life  like  Miss  Wilsey's  can  exert 
on  many.  He  did  not  go  away  without  a  special 
word  of  encouragement  to  each  of  the  three 
girls  who  had  just  started  in  the  Christian  life, 
and  a  brief,  general  statement  of  the  love  of 
Christ  that  fell  like  a  benediction  on  the  little 
circle.  Miss  West  and  Edyth  thanked  him  for 
his  assistance  that  night,  and  he  strode  off 
through  the  frosty  air,  walking  all  the  way  to  his 
rooms,  that  he  might  think  more  clearly  about 
the  strange  circumstances  that  had  discovered  to 
him  this  gem  of  womanhood  in  such  a  swamp  of 

human  degradation  as Street. 

389 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

During  the  next  fortnight  he  saw  Edyth 
several  times  at  the  mission,  and  called  at  her 
home.  They  were  both  greatly  interested  in  the 
reported  plans  for  rebuilding  the  next  block. 
The  work  of  demolition  had  progressed  with 
marvelous  celerity. 

"I  am  afraid  that  I  almost  envy  the  man  that 
can  put  such  a  magnificent  desire  into  tangible, 
practical  form,"  said  Mr.  Leigh.  "I  have  long 
felt  that  my  mission  in  life  is  to  the  poor,  but 
I  constantly  feel  my  financial  limitations.  The 
needs  are  so  numberless  that  a  little  money  is 
soon  completely  out  of  sight." 

"But  it  is  a  pleasure  to  watch  such  an  enter- 
prise as  this,  whoever  is  called  to  it,"  said  Edyth. 
"I  sometimes  wonder  that  very  wealthy  people, 
who  are  searching  continents  for  fresh  pleas- 
ures, should  miss  the  absorbing  delight  there  is 
in  losing  one's  self  in  the  progress  of  Christ's 
kingdom." 

The  minister  gave  her  a  swift,  searching  look 
that  was  almost  an  interrogation.  She  had 
said  more  than  she  intended;  but  the  next  in- 
stant she  had  changed  the  conversation  so  skill- 
fully that  his  momentary  suspicion  was  ban- 
390 


THE  KIXG'S  GOLD 

ished.  He  was  sure  that  she  was  poor.  Even  as 
she  talked  with  him  she  was  mending  one  of  the 
coarse  woolen  gloves  that  he  had  seen  her  wear. 
This  was  before  she  left  Madam  Henebry's,  and 
she  said  to  her  caller,  by  way  of  apology  for  not 
giving  him  her  undivided  attention,  that  her 
hours  in  the  dressmaker's  workroom  were  so 
long  that  she  did  her  own  repairing  in  the  even- 
ing. He  had  noted  that  notwithstanding  a  cer- 
tain indefinable  air  of  elegance  in  her  sitting 
room  that  the  details  were  all  very  inexpensive. 
He  found  that  Miss  West  had  once  been  a 
school-teacher,  so  he  was  not  surprised  at  her 
intelligence;  but  he  wondered  that  her  niece, 
who  was  evidently  well  educated,  was  not  teach- 
ing rather  than  working  with  her  needle  in  a 
low-class  establishment  like  that  around  the 
corner.  He  ventured  to  remark  that  he  would 
suppose  that  she  would  find  teaching  a  congenial 
occupation;  but  she  replied  that  she  had  not 
been  trained  to  teach. 

Mr.  Leigh  and  Edyth  were  living  at  this  time 
in  that  enchanted  region  where  love  lays  its 
finger  on  the  lips  for  a  season,  depending  on 

other  tokens  than  words  to  convey  its  sweet 
391 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

intent,  and  reveling  in  a  bliss  of  suspense  that 
must  soon  end  in  certainty,  and,  ending,  lose 
forever  an  inexpressible  charm  all  its  own,  al- 
though making  way  for  a  more  solid  happiness. 
On  a  Saturday  afternoon  the  young  minister 
sent  Edyth  a  bunch  of  English  violets,  and  the 
following  day  when  she  entered  the  mission 
chapel  he  saw  that  she  had  pinned  them  to  her 
jacket.  Isabel  Band  had  already  arrived,  having 
driven  down  with  the  Sanborns.  She  was  pale 
and  nervous  and  somewhat  irritable.  She  had 
reached  the  chapel  before  Mr.  Leigh,  and  when 
he  came  in  and  stepped  upon  the  platform  he 
had  included  the  whole  company  there  in  a 
cordial  "Good  afternoon,"  and  took  his  seat 
beside  the  superintendent  with  no  special  recog- 
nition of  her  valuable  presence.  Isabel  had  a 
class  of  small  boys,  and  she  sat  during  the  lesson 
where  she  could  command  a  view  of  the  whole 
room.  She  furtively  watched  Mr.  Leigh  as  he 
went  from  class  to  class  with  a  pleasant  greet- 
ing. She  saw  him  pause  beside  Edyth  Wilsey, 
bend  his  head  a  moment  while  he  spoke  a  sen- 
tence or  two,  and  then  pass  on  with  a  counte- 
nance suffused  in  that  light  "that  never  was  on 
392 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

sea  or  land."  She  also  saw  Edyth's  drooping 
lids  and  rising  color.  A  flood  of  jealous  rage 
surged  in  her  soul.  She  stammered,  dropped 
her  book,  then  arose  hastily,  and  with  a  word  of 
excuse  to  her  class  made  her  way  to  the  vesti- 
bule. She  hoped  that  Mr.  Leigh  would  see  her 
and  follow  her,  and,  finding  she  was  faint,  take 
her  home,  perhaps,  in  the  Sanborns'  brougham. 
She  had  subjected  herself  to  a  great  deal  of 
what  she  considered  real  hardship  for  the  mis- 
sion, and  she  thought  that  it  could  not  fail  to 
elicit  sympathy  from  the  minister  to  see  her 
overcome  at  her  post  of  duty.  Isabel  heard  the 
door  open  behind  her,  and,  turning,  saw  only 
Hetty  Sanborn  coining  to  her  relief. 

"Are  you  ill,  dear?"  asked  Miss  Sanborn. 

Isabel  was  holding  the  outside  door  ajar  and 
pressing  her  face  in  the  aperture. 

"The  air  inside  is  vile  to-day,"  she  said, 
crossly,  "and  I  felt  nearly  stifled.  I'm  getting 
sick  of  this  chapel  business." 

"So  am  I,  Belle,"  said  Hetty,  "but  I'll  have 
to  stick  to  it  so  long  as  father  keeps  up  the 
fad." 

"Did  you  see  that  plebeian  Wilsey  girl  ?"  went 
393 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

on  Isabel.  "Winthrop  Leigh  spoke  to  her,  and 
they  each  turned  into  a  small  planet  for  bright- 
ness." 

"Nonsense,  Belle,"  snapped  Hetty.  "He 
wouldn't  walk  into  that  trap  and  ruin  all  his 
prospects." 

"I'd  like  to  kill  her !"  flashed  Isabel. 

Mr.  Sanborn  now  appeared  in  the  hall. 

"Well,  girls,"  he  said,  "nobody  seems  to  be 
suffering  here.  Come  in  as  soon  as  you  can." 

They  returned  to  their  classes,  and  Mr.  Leigh 
approached  Isabel  and  said  cordially : 

"Will  you  be  able  to  call  on  old  Mrs.  Clement 
to-morrow?  She  has  sent  word  that  she  wants 
to  see  you." 

Mrs.  Clement  was  a  rheumatic  member  of  the 
mission  to  whom  Isabel  had  made  herself  very 
agreeable,  as  the  case  was  one  of  especial  inter- 
est to  Mr.  Leigh.  Isabel  looked  up  moodily. 
There  was  no  radiance  on  his  face  now. 

"I  am  going  to  Lakewood  this  week,"  she 
said,  "for  a  rest." 

"Then  I  suppose  we  must  excuse  you." 

She  scanned  his  expression  narrowly.    There 

was  not  a  shade  of  regret  at  the  thought  of  her 
394 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

absence.  She  was  suffering  keenly,  and  her  face 
was  white.  Winthrop  Leigh  noticed  it. 

"You  deserve  a  vacation,"  said  he,  kindly. 
"You  have  stood  by  bravely." 

He  did  not  ask  on  what  day  or  train  she  was 
going.  She  bit  her  lips  as  he  said : 

"I  may  not  see  you  again  before  you  go,  so  I 
will  say  good-bye  now." 

He  held  out  his  hand  and  touched  her  cold, 
listless  fingers.  Her  eyes  were  blazing,  and 
there  was  a  small  red  spot  on  each  of  her  cheeks. 
As  he  turned  away  with  a  bow  and  a  smile, 
hatred  for  him  and  for  the  girl  she  was  sure 
now  that  he  loved  ran  riot  in  her  heart. 

It  had  been  a  raw,  lowering  day,  and  at  the 
close  of  the  Sunday  school  session  a  light  rain 
had  set  in.  Mr.  Leigh  had  simply  said  to  Edyth 
Wilsey  that  he  would  like  to  converse  with  her 
about  the  Martin  girls  after  the  exercises.  When 
the  benediction  had  been  pronounced,  and  the 
school  was  dispersing,  she  sat  in  her  place. 
Isabel  Band  saw  the  minister  put  on  his  coat 
and  go  to  Edyth,  hat  and  umbrella  in  hand. 

"We  can  hardly  talk  nere,"  he  said,  "for  the 

janitor  is  eager  to  get  home  to  his  sick  wife. 
395 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

If  you  have  no  objection,  I  will  walk  in  your 
direction." 

The  two  went  out  together,  and  a  few  mo- 
ments later  the  carriage  containing  the  Sanborns 
and  Isabel  Eand  passed  them,  and  Isabel  saw 
them  walking  slowly  under  the  ministers  um- 
brella. It  was  dusk,  but  the  street  lamp  re- 
vealed Winthrop  Leigh's  broad  shoulders,  tower- 
ing beside  Edyth's  little  black  hat.  Isabel  sank 
back  against  the  cushions,  and  planned  to  com- 
pound a  bitter  draught  of  revenge  for  the  young 
preacher  that  would  be  sweeter  than  honey  to 
her  own  evil  spirit. 

Mr.  Leigh  and  Edyth  had  spoken  not  a  word 
as  they  left  the  chapel  together.  They  were 
conscious  of  never  having  been  strangers  to  each 
other.  A  "Thus  saith  the  Lord"  seemed  to 
Winthrop  to  glow  above  them  as  they  walked. 
There  was  no  constraint  in  the  prolonged  si- 
lence, only  blessed,  perfect  content.  He  felt  the 
gentle  weight  of  her  arm  in  his,  and  knew  that 
she  was  destined  to  walk  with  him  until  God 
should  call  one  of  them  to  himself.  At  length 
he  spoke,  reverently,  tenderly,  with  an  assur- 
ance that  was  born  of  divine  conviction : 
390 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"I  have  known  you  since  the  morning  stars 
sang  together.  There  has  been  no  beginning. 
There  can  be  no  end." 

She  was  not  startled,  although  she  trembled 
from  head  to  foot.  She  might  as  well  resist 
the  rotation  of  the  earth  on  its  axis.  She  re- 
membered a  time  when  she  had  stood  behind  the 
American  Fall  at  Niagara,  deafened,  blinded, 
and  almost  breathless,  but  with  an  awful  and 
exalted  consciousness  of  God  in  the  stillness 
and  security  of  the  cleft  rock.  The  minister 
feared  lest  he  had  shocked  and  frightened  her 
by  his  impetuous  words,  and  he  stopped  in  the 
glare  of  a  lamp,  and  bent  to  look  in  her  face. 
Her  eyes  were  brimming  with  tears,  but  there 
was  a  smile  on  her  lips. 

"Is  it  not  so—      -Edyth?" 

He  hesitated  an  instant  ere  he  spoke  her 
name. 

"It  is  so — "  she  too  hesitated,  flushing  crim- 
son in  the  darkness. 

"Say  it,  dear  heart,"  he  pleaded.  "Say,  'Win- 
throp.' " 

She  did  his  bidding  timidly,  half  whispering 

the  name.    They  were  at  her  door,  but  she  did 
26  397 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

not  invite  him  to  enter.  He  did  not  expect  it. 
He  could  appreciate  fully  her  feeling  when  she 
said,  as  she  withdrew  her  arm  from  his  : 

"I  cannot  bear  all  this  happiness  quite  yet. 
I  want  to  get  away  even  from  you,  to  he  alone 
with  God." 

"I  understand,  dear/'  he  replied,  gently. 
"May  I  come  to-night  after  service  ?" 

"Yes,"  she  said.  "It  is  going  to  be  a  rainy 
evening,  and  Aunt  Helen  will  not  wish  to  at- 
tend the  chapel,  so  I  will  stay  with  her." 

Winthrop  Leigh  turned  away  as  on  air,  hum- 
ming an  old  Te  Deum.  Edyth  climbed  slowly 
up  the  stairs  to  her  aunt,  moving  as  in  a  golden 
mist.  She  threw  her  arms  around  Miss  West's 
neck  and  kissed  her,  and  that  good  lady  per- 
ceiving an  unwonted  halo,  and  having  a  heart 
history  of  her  own,  asked  no  questions,  but  said 
to  herself  as  she  made  the  tea,  which  they  al- 
ways took  at  home  on  Sunday  nights,  "It  can't 
be  so  soon." 

But  it  could,  and  was. 

"Auntie,"  said  Edyth,  "I  am  going  to  shut 
myself  up  in  our  bedroom  for  a  little  while, 

if  you  don't  mind.    I'll  get  some  tea  later.'' 
398 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

It  was  an  hour  after  that  Edyth  opened  the 
door,  crept  up  softly  behind  her  aunt,  who  was 
reading  her  Church  paper  by  the  lamp,  and 
kissed  her  gently  on  the  top  of  her  head.  With- 
out turning  her  head,  Miss  West  reached  up  one 
hand  to  take  the  one  she  knew  would  meet  her 
own. 

"Don't  look,  auntie,  dear,"  murmured  Edyth, 
"that  is,  not  just  this  minute.  The — the  min- 
ister will  be  in  to-night  after  meeting." 

"Well?"  said  Miss  West,  with  a  pretense  of 
mental  density. 

"Well,"  said  Edyth,  "he  spoke  this  after- 
noon." 

"Doesn't  he  speak  every  Sunday  afternoon?" 
asked  Miss  West,  innocently. 

"0,  you  dear,  ridiculous  auntie!"  exclaimed 
Edyth,  hugging  her  nearly  to  the  point  of  dis- 
location. Then,  being  set  entirely  at  ease  by 
Miss  West's  manner,  she  moved  around  in  front 
of  her  aunt  and  sat  down  on  the  floor  at  her 
feet. 

"You  can't  surprise  me,  my  child,"  said  Miss 
West.  "I  have  felt  this  in  the  air  from  the 

first.    I  cannot  tell  you  the  gladness  that  is  in 
399 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

my  heart  for  you.    As  for  that  in  your  own,  I 
know  all  about  it." 

She  smiled  at  Edyth  in  sincerest  sympathy, 
hut  the  next  instant  her  bright,  brave  soul  had 
yielded  to  a  sudden  rush  of  tender  memories, 
and  she  had  buried  her  face  in  her  hands. 

Edyth  stole  quietly  out  into  the  dining  room. 
400 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 


CHAPTEE  XIII 

IT  was  not  many  days  before  St.  Christopher's 
was  agitated  by  the  news  that  the  Eev.  Winthrop 
Leigh,  its  particular  protege  and  pet,  had  begun 
to  show  the  most  marked  attentions  to  a  work- 
ing-girl in  the  vicinity  of  the  mission.  The  re- 
port gained  credence,  and  a  number  of  the 
parishioners  manifested  a  very  sudden  interest 
in  the  downtown  services,  that  they  might  see 
for  themselves.  Isabel  had  sown  a  large  crop 
of  thistles  before  her  departure  for  Lakewood, 
and  had  nourished  it  from  afar.  It  grew 
rapidly,  and  on  her  return  after  a  fortnight  she 
found  a  rich  harvest  of  trouble  ready  for  the 
pastor's  assistant. 

For  several  weeks  the  gossip  and  criticism 
went  on.  Winthrop  Leigh  kept  it  under  his 
feet,  and  Edyth,  so  busy  and  happy  day  after 
day,  was  indifferent  to  the  openly  expressed  con- 
tempt of  Miss  Rand  and  her  friends.  She  could 
see  that  her  lover  was  destined  to  the  loss  of  his 
position,  and  if  she  had  been  a  poor  girl  she 

could  not  have  endured  the  thought  of  being  a 
401 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

disadvantage  to  him  in  any  way.  She  had  not 
yet  told  Mr.  Leigh  her  history,  but  had  asked 
him  to  trust  her  until  she  felt  free  to  explain 
herself  fully.  He  knew  that  she  had  left  the 
dressmaker's  place,  but  she  had  told  him  truly 
that  she  had  work  to  do  at  home.  She  was 
absorbed  for  hours  every  day  in  certain  much- 
penciled  sheets  of  drawing-board,  and  went  back 
and  forth  a  good  deal  between  her  home  and  the 
Dayton  parsonage. 

Winthrop  Leigh  observed  that  his  dinner  in- 
vitations had  fallen  off,  that  the  Eands  scarcely 
recognized  him,  that  a  current  of  constantly 
growing  opposition  had  set  in,  and  he  some- 
times felt  somewhat  depressed  at  the  changed 
attitude  of  the  people  of  St.  Christopher's.  An 
hour  with  Edyth  always  compensated  him  for 
any  trial  that  crossed  his  path,  and  being  sure 
of  the  favor  of  God,  he  felt  that  he  could  main- 
tain himself  against  the  world.  Even  Mr.  San- 
born's  hearty  manner  had  become  constrained, 
and  his  daughter  had  at  last  withdrawn  with 
Miss  Eand  from  the  Sunday  school.  The  pastor 
of  St.  Christopher's  had  been  closeted  in  his 

study  several  times  of  late  with  Mr.  Eand  and 
402 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

other  of  the  officials  of  the  church.  At  length 
Dr.  Jewell  asked  his  assistant  to  call  at  the 
parsonage  on  a  certain  morning  to  discuss  a 
matter  of  grave  importance.  As  has  been  re- 
lated, Dr.  Jewell  loved  the  young  man.  His 
own  son,  an  only  child,  had  been  drowned  while 
at  college.  Had  he  lived  he  would  have  been 
just  the  age  of  Winthrop  Leigh. 

Dr.  Jewell  stood  on  the  hearth-rug  in  his 
study  when  Mr.  Leigh  appeared.  He  held  out 
a  strong  and  friendly  hand,  and  motioned  to 
a  chair  near  by.  Winthrop  was  struck  by  the 
seriousness  of  Dr.  Jewell's  expression. 

"You  have  business  with  me,  sir  ?" 

"Yes,  my  son,  and  painful  business  to  us 
both." 

There  was  a  long  pause.  Dr.  Jewell  cleared 
his  throat  several  times,  and  then  proceeded 
with  unwonted  hesitation. 

"You  are  aware,  Winthrop,  that  a  minister 
has  sometimes  to  suppress  and  sacrifice  his 
personal  wishes  that  he  may  adapt  himself  to 
the — the — opinions  of  his  people." 

Dr.  Jewell  was  a  very  politic  man.  Win- 
throp's  eyes  flashed  ominously. 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"You  have  been  not  only  very  useful,  but  ex- 
ceedingly popular,  among  the  members  of  our 
church  and  congregation,"  went  on  the  pastor, 
"consequently  it  is  with  the  greater  regret  that 
some  of  our  most  influential  people  have  learned 
that  you  seek  the  companionship  of  a  young 
woman  whose  surroundings  are,  to  say  the  least, 
degrading.  It  is  one  thing  to  labor  for  the 
spiritual  welfare  of  the  poor  and  ignorant ;  it  is 
quite  another  to  meet  them  upon  equal  terms 
socially." 

Winthrop  had  turned  white  with  righteous 
wrath,  but  his  profound  respect  and  love  for 
Dr.  Jewell  sealed  his  lips  for  a  little  while. 

"And  now,  my  son,"  went  on  the  elder  man, 
with  evident  sorrow  for  his  message,  "it  is  the 
wish  of  St.  Christopher's,  and  I  may  add  my 
own  wish,  that  you  discontinue  your  present 
course  in  regard  to  this  girl  whose  station  is  so 
much  beneath  your  own." 

Winthrop  had  risen  to  his  feet,  and  now 
looked  Dr.  Jewell  proudly  in  the  eyes. 

"Miss  Wilsey  is  my  promised  wife,"  he  said, 
"and  no  purer,  more  refined,  more  cultivated 

young  lady  walks  this  earth." 
404 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"0,  my  poor  boy !"  groaned  Dr.  Jewell.  "Has 
love  indeed  made  you  blind?  You  are  not  the 
first  man  who  has  been  willing  to  sacrifice 
brilliant  prospects  to  a  pretty  face." 

"But  in  this  case  the  face  is  but  an  exponent 
of  a  most  lovely  character,"  replied  the  young 
man.  "Dr.  Jewell,  have  you  ever  seen  her?" 

"No,  my  son." 

"Then  I  have  a  favor  to  ask.  Let  me  bring 
her  here  soon  to  meet  your  wife  and  yourself 
for  a  few  moments." 

"I  think  that  Mrs.  Jewell  will  not  refuse 
your  request.  She  has  felt  almost  a  mother's 
interest  in  you  from  the  first.  But  now  let  me 
finish  my  commission.  The  church  through 
its  officials  wishes  to  inform  you  that  unless  you 
accept  their  alternative,  namely,  to  retire  from 
this  love  affair,  your  connection  with  us  must 
cease  by  the  Easter  celebration.  I  also  must 
warn  you  privately  that  your  prospects  for  be- 
coming pastor  of  the  Harlem  church  will  be 
hopelessly  blighted.  Please  respect  my  confi- 
dence when  I  tell  you  that  Mr.  Alberton  Rand 
threatens  to  withdraw  his  support  from  this 

church,  and  his  brother  will  close  the  doors  of 
405 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

that  church  against  you,  if  you  persist  in  your 
attention  to  Miss — to  this  lady  at  the  mission." 

Winthrop  stood  at  his  full  height,  and  said 
with  great  but  controlled  emotion : 

"Dr.  Jewell,  I  would  give  my  life  for  my 
future  wife;  how  much  more  my  present  wel- 
fare and  hopes  of  preferment!  These  people 
insult  my  judgment  and  good  sense,  and  my 
most  sacred  right  of  choice.  They  shall  have  my 
resignation  at  once." 

"Let  me  plead  this  once  with  you,  Winthrop. 
Do  not  thwart  your  best  interests  and  hang  a 
millstone  around  your  neck.  Marry  a  woman 
who  will  be  a  help  to  you  socially,  who  will 
bring  you  wealth,  and  will  add  culture  to  your 
own  culture.  If  I  might  suggest,  there  is  Miss 
Isabel  Eand,  who 

"Please,  sir,  do  not  speak  of  her,"  interrupted 
Winthrop.  "The  woman  who  has  given  her 
pledge  for  mine  was  sent  to  me  by  God,  marked 
with  my  name.  Our  compact  is  of  the  nature 
of  the  everlasting  hills.  I  ask  once  more,  will 
you  see  her  ?" 

Dr.  Jewell  knew  that  his  wife  was  in  her 

sitting  room  next  to  the  study,  so  he  stepped  to 
406 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

the  door  and  asked  her  to  come  and  speak  with 
Mr.  Leigh.  She  was  a  dignified  but  motherly 
woman,  aristocratic  in  her  birth  and  training, 
but  with  a  heart  humble  before  God.  She 
greeted  the  young  man  with  subdued  kindness. 
It  was  hard  for  her  to  condone  a  breach  of  cor- 
rect taste.  Dr.  Jewell  presented  Winthrop's 
request. 

"My  personal  regard  for  you,  Mr.  Leigh," 
she  said,  "has  weathered  so  far  this  storm  of 
criticism.  If  we  may  meet  your  friend  at  our 
own  table  we  will  be  able  to  obtain  a  correct 
view  of  the  situation.  If  we  disapprove,  you 
must  know  that  we  have  your  welfare  at  heart. 
Are  you  free  to-morrow  night,  Dr.  Jewell?" 
she  said,  turning  to  her  husband. 

"From  six  to  eight,"  he  replied. 

"And  you?"  she  asked  of  Winthrop. 

"Yes,  Mrs.  Jewell." 

"Then  allow  me  to  detain  you  while  I  write 
a  note  inviting  Miss " 

"Miss  Wilsey,"  said  Mr.  Leigh. 

"Miss  Wilsey,"  repeated  Mrs.  Jewell,  "to  dine 
with  us  to-morrow  night." 

She  seated  herself  at  her  husband's  table  and 
407 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

helped  herself  to  pen  and  paper,  writing  a  very 
gracious  invitation,  which  Mr.  Leigh  accepted 
with  thanks  and  put  into  his  pocket.  Edyth 
received  it  that  evening  very  gladly,  as  she  was 
entirely  unaware  of  the  test  to  which  her  lover 
had  been  subjected.  When  the  time  came  she 
had  a  very  feminine  temptation  to  take  a  certain 
rich  and  becoming  lavender  gown  from  her 
trunk,  and  surprise  Mr.  Leigh;  but  she  con- 
tented herself  with  her  Sunday  cashmere 
touched  up  by  fresh,  dainty  ruchings  and  a  knot 
of  black  velvet  ribbon.  She  noted  that  there 
was  a  shadow  on  Mr.  Leigh's  face,  but  at- 
tributed it  to  a  headache. 

Mrs.  Jewell's  well-trained  features  were  a 
study  when  her  eyes  first  fell  on  her  fair  guest. 
She  had  not  been  prepared  for  such  a  vision. 
Her  heart  surrendered  at  once,  and  her  judg- 
ment soon  followed  suit.  She  had  indulged  in 
a  bit  of  innocent  strategy  that  night.  There 
was  visiting  at  the  parsonage  a  brilliant  young 
woman  from  the  West,  a  graduate  of  Wellesley, 
and  a  pronounced  beauty.  Mrs.  Jewell  knew 
that  Mr.  Leigh  could  not  tolerate  any  gauckcrie 

or  vulgarity  in  a  woman,  and  she  had  in  mind 
408 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

to  bring  Miss  Wilsey  into  bold  relief  against 
the  faultless  background  of  her  visitor's  unusual 
mental  and  physical  charms.  The  dinner  was 
arranged  with  punctilious  regard  for  the  most 
trivial  conventionalities.  Doubtless  the  Wilsey 
girl  would  be  silent  and  ill  at  ease,  and  Win- 
throp  would  see  his  mistake  before  it  was  quite 
too  late.  It  had  been  many  weeks  since  Edyth 
had  found  herself  in  such  a  thoroughly  con- 
genial company,  and  her  nature  expanded  like 
a  water  lily  in  the  morning  sun.  Her  entire 
absence  of  self-consciousness,  her  perfect  ac- 
quaintance with  the  little  minor  tests  of  a  polite 
dinner,  astonished  her  hostess,  while  her  in- 
telligent conversation  charmed  Dr.  Jewell,  and 
threw  the  St.  Louis  belle  entirely  into  the  shade. 
^\Ir.  Leigh  had  never  seen  Edyth  on  a  social 
occasion  like  this,  and  the  shadow  fled  from 
his  brow,  and  he  triumphed  silently  in  her  con- 
quest of  his  friends.  After  dinner  he  retired  to 
the  study  with  Dr.  Jewell,  and  drew  a  paper 
from  his  pocket. 

"My  resignation,  sir,"  he  said,  respectfully 
but  tersel}r. 

"Keep  it,  my  boy,"  said  the  doctor.    "I  think 
409 


THE  KIXG'S  GOLD 

the  officials  will  listen  to  my  representations. 
You  have  a  woman  in  ten  thousand." 

"A  working-girl,  Dr.  Jewell,  remember — a 

dressmaker's  assistant  in  Street.  No, 

my  dear  sir,  I  cannot  serve  St.  Christopher's 
another  week." 

Before  they  left  the  parsonage  Mrs.  Jewell 
managed  to  whisper  to  Mr.  Leigh : 

"A  princess  in  disguise.  Bring  her  to  us 
whenever  you  can." 

On  the  way  home  Winthrop  told  Edyth  of  his 
resignation,  and  her  woman's  wit  assured  her  of 
the  real  cause  of  it. 

"Winthrop,"  she  said,  "I  suspect  that  I  am 
the  means  of  your  leaving  your  position." 

His  utter  silence  convinced  her. 

"You  see  that  I  am  a  sort  of  mind-reader," 
she  said,  smiling. 

He  wondered  that  she  could  speak  so  lightly. 
He  was  human,  after  all,  and  was  conscious  that 
he  had  surrendered  a  great  deal  for  her  sake. 
He  thought  that  she  should  at  least  show  deep 
feeling  at  the  turn  in  his  fortunes,  and  deplore 
the  fact  that  she  had  been  even  the  innocent 

cause  of  his  loss  of  place  and  influence.     He 
410 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

could  not  understand  her  cheerfulness.  It 
grieved  him. 

"This  will  postpone  our  marriage  indefinite- 
ly," said  he.  "I  may  not  be  able  to  offer  you  a 
suitable  home  for  a  long  time.  I  shall  probably 
have  to  leave  the  city." 

Still  not  a  word  of  regret  from  the  girl  at  his 
side.  He  scorned  to  ask  her  if  she  did  not  care. 
This  was  the  first  time  that  she  had  failed  him 
with  a  full  complement  of  sympathy,  and  his 
heart  felt  the  chill  of  disappointment. 

"Did  God  ever  close  a  door  to  one  of  his  chil- 
dren without  opening  another?"  she  said, 
quietly. 

"I  suppose  not,"  he  answered,  somewhat  dis- 
tantly. 

She  seemed  to  be  blind  to  the  fact  that  he 
was  in  a  state  where  he  did  not  need  to  have 
his  faith  in  God  stimulated  so  much  as  he  re- 
quired warm  and  responsive  human  apprecia- 
tion of  his  devotion. 

Edyth  had  perferred  to  walk  downtown  that 
night.  A  recent  heavy  rain  had  cleansed  the 
sidewalks,  the  air  was  clear  and  not  very  cold, 

and  there  was  a  full  moon.     Mr.  Leigh  was 
411 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

looking  straight  ahead,  and  did  not  see  how  her 
eyes  were  dancing  with  delight. 

"Winthrop,"  said  she,  controlling  a  joyous 
tremor  that  was  determined  to  break  through 
her  voice,  "if  you  could  do  just  as  you  prefer, 
what  would  it  be?" 

"I  think  you  have  heard  me  remark,"  he  re- 
plied, coldly,  "that  it  has  been  my  one  chief  de- 
sire to  work  for  the  poor,  to  devote  my  life  to 
them.  I  see  small  prospect  of  it  now." 

They  walked  several  blocks  in  silence.  He 
was  behaving  very  badly,  and  he  knew  it;  but 
had  he  not  poured  all  that  there  was  of  him 
into  one  mighty  sacrifice  to  the  woman  he  loved, 
and  had  she  not  received  it  as  a  mere  matter  of 
course,  with  an  almost  trifling  manner,  and  with 
no  word  of  tenderness  or  regard  ?  Man  though 
he  was,  there  swept  over  him  a  great  longing 
for  his  mother.  If  he  might  go  home  to  her 
that  night,  and  lay  his  head  on  her  shoulder 
as  he  used  to  do  when  a  lad,  and  tell  her  the 
whole  story ! 

Just  then  Edyth's  hand  slipped  down  his 
rough  coat-sleeve  into  his  own  strong  fingers. 

Instinctively  they  tightened  over  it,  hurt  though 
412 


^THE  KING'S  GOLD 

he  was.  She  attempted  to  speak,  but  her  voice 
broke  between  a  sob  and  a  laugh.  Instantly  his 
whole  soul  was  on  the  alert. 

"0,  my  love !"  she  said.  "What  this  proof  of 
your  sincere  affection  means  to  me  I  could  not 
tell  you  with  ten  thousand  tongues.  When  I 
first  left  school  my  father  was  living,  and  he 
planned  a  marriage  for  me  that  he  thought 
would  give  me  great  social  advantage.  I  knew 
nothing  of  life  nor  of  love.  I  acceded  to  my 
father's  arrangement.  I  learned  to  care  for  the 
man  whom  he  chose  for  me,  for  I  thought  that 
it  was  an  honest  admiration  and  devotion  that 
were  given  to  me.  Providentially  I  learned  for 
myself  that  the  man  was  in  need  of  money, 
and  that  I  was  nothing  to  him  except  as  a  means 
of  making  my  father's  fortune  available  to  him. 
I  dismissed  him  from  my  life  as  if  he  had  not 
been.  It  was  at  this  time  that  I  became  a 
Christian.  I  will  tell  you  all  about  it  any  day ; 
but  suffice  it  to  say  now  that  the  sudden  death 
of  my  father  left  me  an  immense  fortune  at' 
my  own  disposal.  I  have  chosen  to  learn  some- 
thing of  the  life  and  troubles  of  girls  less  for- 
tunate than  myself,  and  to  help  them  to  more 
27  413 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

useful  and  happier  lives;  but  my  work  is  only 
just  begun.  You  have  thought  that  I  did  not 
see  what  your  love  for  me  would  cost  you.  I 
have  seen  from  the  beginning.  I  have  waited 
and  have  let  you  come  to  this  great  test  because 
I  knew  that  God  was  preparing  to  put  into  your 
hands  the  implements  for  doing  the  very  work 
that  your  soul  has  so  long  coveted." 

Winthrop  Leigh  was  spellbound.  He  tried  to 
speak,  but  could  not.  He  walked  on  mechanic- 
ally for  a  while,  not  observing  through  what 
locality  they  were  passing.  Suddenly  Edyth 
paused. 

"Look !"  she  said,  pointing  across  the  street. 
It  was  the  block  where  the  old  buildings  had 
been  torn  down  and  the  foundations  of  the  new 
structures  had  been  laid.  On  the  corner  the 
walls  of  a  stone  chapel  had  begun  to  rise.  In 
the  flood  of  moonlight  every  stone  stood  out  in 
bold  outlines.  It  shone  through  the  arch  of 
the  chapel  entrance. 

"Winthrop,  dear,"  went  on  Edyth,  "it  is  your 
ideal  and  mine  that  is  taking  shape  in  granite 
and  mortar  over  there.  It  is  you  and  I  who  will 

be  stewards  of  God  in  this  place,  showing  forth 
414 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

his  loving-kindness  to  the  suffering  brethren  of 
our  Lord.  It  is  your  money  and  mine,  our 
money,  that  by  the  blessing  of  God  will  make 
the  desert,  the  dreary,  hopeless  desert  of  igno- 
rance and  pain  and  sin  in  this  neighborhood, 
blossom  like  the  rose  with  hope  and  salvation. 
Darling,  the  mystery  is  solved,  is  it  not?  I 
could  not  keep  my  secret  from  you  any  longer. 
Every  day  I  have  longed  to  consult  your  taste, 
to  ask  your  advice.  Mr.  Dayton,  my  guardian, 
cannot  take  the  necessary  time  to  look  after  the 
details  of  this  work.  He  will  offer  to  you  to- 
morrow the  position  which  it  is  so  necessary  to 
have  filled,  namely,  that  of  overseer  of  the  en- 
terprise. I  hope  you  will  see  fit  to  accept  it." 

Winthrop  Leigh  seemed  for  a  few  moments 
as  one  paralyzed,  but  when  they  were  safe  with- 
in Edyth's  sitting  room  he  recovered  first  the 
use  of  his  arms,  even  before  Aunt  Helen's  very 
eyes,  and  though  his  tongue  was  slow  in  regain- 
ing its  usual  fluency  of  speech  the  few  words 
that  he  managed  to  speak  were  perfectly  satis- 
factory to  Edyth. 

At  the  next  Thursday  Evening  Club,  Edyth 

informed  the  girls  of  her  plans  for  them.    She 
415 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

told  them  that  she  expected  to  become  the  wife 
of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Leigh,  and  that  they  hoped  to 
complete  and  open  the  new  buildings  on  the 
next  block  by  Christmas  of  that  year. 

"Some  of  you,"  she  said,  "can  be  made  very 
useful  to  the  work  by  a  little  training.  We 
shall  need  a  bookkeeper,  a  nurse,  some  one  to 
buy  supplies  for  the  restaurant,  to  plan  meals, 
to  cook  them,  some  to  visit  the  sick  in  the 
neighborhood.  Mrs.  Lester  and  Ellen  will  be  in- 
vited to  be  the  housekeepers.  There  will  be 
plain  sewing  and  mending  to  be  done  by  some- 
body. If  you  will  enter  into  these  plans,  and 
choose  your  own  parts  in  them,  I  will  furnish 
you  with  means  to  get  the  necessary  training. 
Maggie  and  Lillie,  as  you  know,  are  already 
studying  music  and  designing,  as  I  have  ad- 
vanced them  the  funds.  Of  course,  you  will  give 
Madam  Henebry  fair  warning  if  you  decide  to 
leave  her,  that  she  may  have  ample  opportunity 
to  supply  your  places.  She  will  easily  secure 
other  girls,  and  we  can  help  them  also." 

Edyth's  remarks  were  received  with  unbound- 
ed enthusiasm.  Some  of  the  girls  wept  for  joy. 

When  they  knew  that  a  model  tenement  house 
416 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

was  to  be  included  in  the  buildings,  where  for  a 
small  rent  people  could  have  the  means  for 
being  clean  and  comfortable,  receiving  a  share 
in  the  light  and  air  that  God  has  made  for  every- 
one, and  greedy  man  has  withheld  from  his  poor 
brethren,  their  hearts  broke  out  into  such  loving 
speech  that  Edyth  was  fain  to  thrust  her  fingers 
in  her  ears  and  beg  them  to  remember  their 
heavenly  Father  and  not  his  servant. 

Mr.  Leigh  received  the  expected  request  from 
Mr.  Dayton  to  take  charge  of  the  erection  of 
the  chapel  and  other  buildings.  The  offer  of  a 
very  liberal  salary  accompanied  the  wish,  and 
such  were  the  requirements  of  the  position  that 
there  was  no  suggestion  of  a  sinecure  with  sacri- 
fice of  self-respect. 

"I  have  just  one  more  secret  from  you,  dear," 
said  Edyth,  one  day.  "Before  I  told  you  about 
this  building  scheme  I  had  some  raised  letters 
cut  on  the  chapel  arch  and  carefully  covered." 

"I  observed  that  the  arch  was  screened,'"  re- 
plied Mr.  Leigh,  "and  I  have  been  on  the  point 
several  times  of  asking  the  contractor  to  let  me 
see  the  lettering,  but  something  else  claimed  my 

attention." 

417 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"Well,  please  don't  ask/'  said  Edyth,  "for 
that  is  my  secret." 

"Of  course  I  will  respect  your  wish,"  he  said, 
loyally. 

Easter  came  and  went,  but  it  did  not  bring 
Edyth's  wedding  day,  for  she  had  set  the  next 
December,  when  the  new  chapel  should  have 
been  dedicated.  May  brought  a  few  unseason- 
ably hot  days,  when  the  odors  of Street 

became  almost  overpowering. 

"Do  you  realize,  Edyth,"  said  Winthrop, 
"that  you  have  chosen  to  have  our  permanent 
home  in  this  horrible  neighborhood?" 

"Yes,"  she  replied.  "It  may  not  always  be 
necessary  for  us  to  live  here,  but  for  a  few 
years  I  think  we  should  remain  right  in  the 
midst  of  our  people.  The  Home  will  be  a  stately 
building,  and  we  will  have  the  top  floor  fitted 
up  for  our  own  use.  We  can  play  at  Syrians, 
you  know,  and  have  a  lovely  warm-weather  sit- 
ting room  on  the  roof." 

Miss  West  had  borne  the  winter  well.  She 
had  even  enjoyed  it.  But  now  a  severe  attack 
of  "Heimweh"  seized  her,  and  Edyth  found  her 

one  evening  on  the  sofa  weeping  surreptitiously. 
418 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"Why,  auntie,  dear !"  exclaimed  Edyth. 

Helen  laid  her  hand  on  her  heart  and  tried 
to  smile.  "It  is  nothing,  child,  except  a  long- 
ing for  dear  old  Sunnyslope." 

"You  poor,  patient  love !"  said  her  niece, 
nestling  down  beside  her,  "how  thoughtless  I 
have  been !  I'll  pack  you  off  to-morrow." 

"But  you  cannot  stay  here  alone,  Edyth,  not 
a  day." 

"No;  but  Mrs.  Lester  and  Ellen  will  come 
here,  and  0,  Aunt  Helen !  Why  haven't  I 
thought  of  it  before !  Mayn't  I  buy  the  old 
home  in  Sunnyslope  and  fit  it  up  for  a  fresh- 
air  place  for  our  girls  ?" 

"It  would  be  much  better  than  to  let  it  stand 
empty,"  said  Helen,  who  had  brightened  already 
at  the  very  thought  of  really  returning  to  her 
native  village. 

"Well,  when  Winthrop  calls  this  evening  I 
will  ask  him  to  escort  you  to  the  station  to-mor- 
row morning.  You  must  get  ready  at  once." 

Edyth  ran  to  the  storeroom  and  dragged  her 
aunt's  big  valise  into  the  front  room.  Before 
bedtime  it  was  packed  and  locked. 

"I  can't  bear  to  leave  you,  dear,"  said  Miss 
419 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

West,  "but  something  seems  to  call  me  back  to 
Sunnyslope.  I  dreamed  last  night  of  it,  the 
shy  violets  in  the  grass,  the  swelling  buds  on  the 
rose  vines,  the  orchard  all  pink  and  white,  the 
ripple  of  the  river,  and  they  all  said,  'Come!' 
Darling,  I  am  going  home,  going  home  !" 

Her  cheeks  were  as  pink  as  those  of  a  young 
girl,  and  her  eyes  sparkled. 

"0,  Aunt  Helen,"  said  Edyth,  throwing  her 
arms  around  Miss  West's  neck,  "how  much  you 
have  sacrificed  for  me  !" 

"No,  Edyth;  say,  rather,  how  much  I  have 
gained  through  you.  But  now  I  want  to  fly 
away  for  a  little.  I  want  to  breathe  long,  deep 
breaths  of  the  pure  air  of  the  hills;  I  want  to 
feel  the  grass  under  my  feet  again;  I  want  to 
lean  over  the  brown  gate  under  my  mother's 
lilac  bushes !" 

The  next  evening  found  Miss  West  starting  a 
fire  on  the  hearth  in  her  own  cozy  sitting  room. 
A  cool,  damp  wave  had  followed  the  hot  spell, 
and  she  was  glad  to  feel  the  glow  of  the  leaping, 
crackling  flames.  Edyth's  experiment  had  de- 
lighted and  interested  her,  but  she  had  felt  the 

great  change  from  her  peaceful  life  of  years  in 
420 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

a  country  town  to  the  tenement-house  district 
in  Xew  York  city.  She  was  hungry  and  thirsty 
for  air,  for  space,  for  sweetness.  Then,  too, 
while  she  rejoiced  in  the  rich  experience  of  love 
that  had  come  to  Edyth,  the  sight  of  the  two 
young,  exuberant  lives  so  happy  in  their  work 
and  so  sufficient  to  each  other  was  like  a  knife 
that  daily  tore  the  terrible  wound  of  the  past 
and  made  it  throb  anew.  She  was  glad  for  a 
little  season  to  retire  from  the  new  life  and  to 
be  alone  with  memory,  since  she  might  never- 
more commune  with  earthly  hope. 

The  second  Sunday  morning  of  her  stay  she 
awoke  before  sunrise  and  heard  the  robins  sing- 
ing in  the  cherry  trees.  She  watched  the  glim- 
mering dawn  until  bands  of  bright  gold  on  the 
opposite  wall  of  her  room  told  that  the  day  had 
opened  in  unclouded  splendor. 

"The  tenth  of  June,"  she  said  as  she  made  her 
toilet,  "and  Sunday  too  !" 

It  was  indeed  the  anniversary  of  that  Sunday 
in  the  long  ago  when  we  first  saw  her  at  the 
window;  and  now  the  woman,  chastened, 
patient,  calm,  and  still  beautiful,  recalled  the 

girl  that  trembled  and  hoped  and  exulted  and 
421 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

thrilled  in  this  very  room  on  that  glorious  morn- 
ing when  her  life  was  opening  up  before  her  in 
a  pageant  of  emblazoned  delights.  Now.,  as 
then,  she  threw  open  the  shutters  and  plucked  a 
red  rose,  fastening  it  in  the  bodice  of  her  white 
morning  wrapper.  She  stood  looking  out  at  the 
same  velvety  hills  across  the  river.  She  recalled 
her  mother's  knock  at  the  door,  and  the  serene 
love-lighted  face,  and  she  drew  the  same  old 
rocking-chair  a  little  forward  and  sat  down  on 
the  floor  in  front  of  it,  trying  to  imagine  the 
soft  touch  of  blessing  on  her  hair,  and  to  bring 
back  from  the  dead  the  sound  of  that  tender 
voice.  She  could  remember  almost  every  Avord 
of  her  mother's  little  sermon,  and  the  short 
prayer  that  closed  their  precious  communion.  It 
was  all  so  many  years  ago !  She  buried  her 
silver-crowned  head  in  the  chair  cushions,  and 
praised  God  that,  although  he  had  afflicted  her 
sorely,  he  had  not  forsaken  her;  though  he  had 
wounded,  he  had  comforted  her  "as  one  whom 
his  mother  comforteth."  He  had  established 
her  goings  and  directed  her.  She  could  still 
trust  him,  and  say  even  with  joy,  "Thy  will  be 

done." 

422 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

After  breakfast  she  wandered  up  into  the  old 
orchard.  It  had  been  neglected,  and  unpruned 
boughs  thrust  their  low-hanging,  leafy  branches 
across  the  grassy  path.  The  board  seat  under 
the  trees  had  at  some  time  lost  its  original 
support,  and  was  now  kept  in  place  with  stones 
from  the  neighboring  wall  that  some  one  had 
put  there  that  very  spring.  Helen  sat  there 
watching  the  little  patches  of  sunlight  on  the 
grass,  and  thinking  of  the  brave,  handsome, 
manly  form  that  once  came  up  the  path  with 
vigorous,  eager  step,  a  question  on  his  lips.  She 
heard  the  gate  swing  on  its  rusty  hinges.  Some- 
body was  coming.  It  was  probably  the  care- 
taker. Why  must  the  woman  intrude  upon  her 
now?  No,  it  was  not  the  step  of  a  woman. 
The  boughs  were  too  thick  and  low  to  reveal  the 
path. 

"Helen !"  called  a  voice  that  she  would  have 
known  in  the  depths  of  a  mine  or  among  the 
starry  spaces.  "Helen !" 

She  arose  and  stood  trembling,  her  face  like 
death,  her  lips  parted,  her  heart  almost  stilled 
for  an  instant.  He  came  nearer,  stooping  to 

push  aside  the  hindering,  overhanging  branches, 
423 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

then  stood  before  her,  tall,  worn,  and  gray,  but 
with  the  same  love  in  his  eyes.  He  took  her  in 
his  hungry  arms,  and  kissed  her  forehead,  her 
closed  lids,  her  cheeks  and  lips.  She  could  not 
speak  nor  look.  She  hardly  dared  to  breathe. 

"Helen,"  he  whispered,  "Helen,  look  at  me !" 

"It  is  a  spirit !"  she  murmured.  "If  I  look, 
you  will  vanish." 

"No,  sweet,  it  is  I,  myself.    God  is  merciful !" 

She  opened  her  eyes  and  gazed  into  his  as  if 
she  were  looking  through  the  gates  of  death  into 
the  fields  of  paradise. 

"All  in  white,"  he  said,  "just  as  I  have  so 
often  pictured  you,  Helen,  standing  here  with 
the  sunlight  dancing  on  your  hair  and  gown." 

"An  old  woman,  Harry  !"  she  replied,  smiling 
half  sadly. 

"Immortals  are  not  old  at  forty,"  he  an- 
swered. "It  is  not  a  young  lover  who  has  come 
for  you,  my  own  !  Love  for  us  must  be  like  wine 
of  a  vintage  so  long  gone  that  the  fruit  of  the 
vine  has  become  priceless  in  its  mellow  sweet- 
ness, matchless  in  its  color  and  sparkle,  and 
with  life  to  revive  even  the  hopes  that  the  years 

have  slain.    0,  Helen,  Helen,  Helen  !'' 
424 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

They  sat  for  hours  and  talked.  Harry  had 
the  strangest  of  all  strange  stories  to  tell,  one 
that  if  found  between  book  covers  would  have 
passed  as  exaggerated  fiction.  The  ship  he 
sailed  in  had  been  burned  at  sea,  and  a  few  of 
the  passengers  were  picked  up  by  a  sailing  ves- 
sel, bound  for  the  far  East.  It  had  been  beaten 
far  from  its  course,  and  finally  wrecked  on  a 
rocky  shore  in  the  South  Pacific.  Harry  Eey- 
nolds  had  been  preserved  almost  miraculously  in 
the  surf,  and  cast  up  at  the  feet  of  native 
savages,  at  whose  hands  he  anticipated  the  most 
horrible  fate.  They  proved,  however,  to  be  a 
kindly  tribe,  who  ministered  to  his  needs  and 
shared  their  best  with  him.  He  discovered  later 
that  he  was  on  a  large  island  where  no  ship  ever 
came.  He  accepted  it  as  his  mission  field.  He 
learned  the  speech  of  the  inhabitants,  and 
taught  many  of  them  his  own.  He  taught  them 
of  God  and  of  Jesus  Christ  and  the  Holy  Spirit. 
He  won  them  from  their  idols.  He  would 
never  forget  to  all  eternity  the  day  that  the 
first  soul  was  enabled  to  become  a  son  of  God. 
The  whole  tribe  became  Christianized.  They 

had  no  other  Bible  than  his  lips,  but  he  had 
425 


THE  Kixc/s  GOLD 

from  a  child  committed  to  memory  many  por- 
tions of  the  Scriptures.  Years  passed  by,  and 
one  day  as  he  sat  in  the  porch  of  the  little  house 
that  he  had  built  he  descried  a  peculiar  speck 
on  the  horizon.  It  was  a  ship.  He  knew  that 
God  could  send  for  him  when  he  saw  fit  to  do  so. 
It  was  an  exploring  expedition  that  was  com- 
ing. Men  were  looking  for  spice  islands;  but 
God  was  sending  for  his  exiled  servant.  The 
ship  drew  near  and  lowered  a  boat,  and  that 
noon  Harry  Reynolds  for  the  first  time  in  many 
years  looked  into  white  faces  and  heard  his 
mother  tongue.  The  island  was  rich  in  gums 
and  spices,  and  contained  large  flocks  of  rare 
and  interesting  birds.  The  officers  of  the  ship 
and  the  commander  of  the  expedition  were  pro- 
foundly moved  by  the  missionary's  story,  and 
treated  him  with  all  possible  courtesy.  When 
they  sailed,  exultant  over  their  splendid  find, 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Reynolds  went  with  them.  He  had 
noble,  capable  Christian  helpers  with  whom  he 
could  intrust  his  beloved  work  for  a  season,  and, 
promising  to  return  if  permitted  by  God,  he  was 
carried  to  Liverpool,  and  thence  was  provided 

with  funds  to  reach  America.     So  many  silent 
42G 


THE  KIXG'S  GOLD 

years  had  elapsed  that  he  knew  not  what  might 
have  become  of  Helen.  He  feared  that  she 
might  be  dead,  or  perhaps  married.  He  re- 
ported at  missionary  headquarters,  asked  to  have 
a  younger  man  appointed  to  the  field,  with 
whom  he  would  be  willing  to  return  for  a  year 
or  two,  and  then  with  unspeakable,  increasing 
agony  of  suspense  he  had  hastened  to  Sunny- 
slope,  arriving  there  late  on  a  Saturday  night. 
He  inquired  at  the  inn  for  the  Wests,  but  the 
landlord  was  a  very  modern  adjunct  of  the  vil- 
lage. He  went  out  and  walked  under  the  fa- 
miliar elms,  and  the  very  air  of  the  spring  night 
was  tremulous  and  scented  with  newness  of 
life.  He  passed  the  West  homestead.  It  was  all 
in  darkness.  He  bethought  him  of  a  kindly 
woman,  a  friend  of  his  mother's  who  owned  a 
pleasant  little  home  not  far  down  the  street. 
He  went  to  the  gate.  A  group  of  young  people 
were  singing  college  songs  in  the  parlor.  He 
rang  the  front  door  bell.  A  boy  opened  it. 

"Does  Mrs.  Greenleaf  live  here?"  asked  Mr. 
Reynolds. 

A  girl  said  politely,  "No,  sir.    I  never  heard 

of  a  family  by  that  name." 
427 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

A  middle-aged  man  stepped  to  the  parlor 
door. 

"Mrs.  Greanleaf  used  to  live  here  years  ago/' 
he  said,  "but  she's  been  up  in  the  Congrega- 
tional buryin'  ground  these  ten  or  a  dozen 
years.  I  bought  this  place  from  she  that  was 
Sally  Greenleaf  when  she  moved  out  West  with 
her  husband." 

"Are  you  Abner  Trueman?"  asked  Harry, 
with  a  tear  in  his  voice. 

"That's  what  they've  pretty  much  always 
called  me,"  said  the  man,  "but  who  be  you?" 

"Abner,"  said  Harry,  recognizing  an  old 
schoolmate  at  the  academy,  and  taking  a  step 
forward,  "don't  say  you  don't  know  me." 

"Great  Scott !"  exclaimed  Mr.  Trueman,  "if 
you  ain't  old  Dr.  Reynolds's  boy,  Harry! 
Marier !"  he  called  to  his  wife,  who  was  clearing 
away  the  remains  of  a  feast  from  the  extension 
table  in  the  dining  room  at  the  end  of  the  hall, 
"come  and  see  who  we've  got  here !" 

Mrs.  Trueman  came  hurriedly  forward,  ad- 
justing the  strings  of  a  white  apron  that  ap- 
peared as  she  removed  her  gingham  one.     She- 
hesitated  while  she  scanned  the  stranger. 
428 


TJIE  KING'S  COLD 

"Mercy  sakes !"  she  exclaimed,  holding  out 
a  plump,  comfortable  hand.  "I  guess  you  must 
have  rose  right  from  the  dead,  Harry  Eeynolds." 

Harry  could  see  now  that  she  had  been  rosy 
little  Maria  Moore.  She  would  know  what  his 
weary  heart  was  burning  to  hear  and  yet  dreaded 
to  learn. 

"I  came  in  on  the  late  train,"  he  said.  "I 
haven't  been  here  in  about  fifteen  years.  I've 
put  up  at  the  inn,  but  I  couldn't  sleep  to-night 
until  I  had  walked  along  the  old  street  and 
tried  to  find  a  familiar  face." 

"Walk  right  out  here,"  said  Mrs.  Trueman, 
cordially.  "The  children  have  had  a  birthday 
spread  to-night.  Can't  I  give  you  a  bite  of 
something  ?" 

"No,  I  thank  you,"  said  Harry.  "I'm  only 
hungry  for  news  of  our  old  friends  and  neigh- 
bors. I'll  sit  a  moment." 

"Well,"  said  Abner,  "the  Methodist  folks  have 
got  a  new  church,  an'  the  Stanton  homestead's 
been  sold,  and  their  big  garden  cut  up  into 
buildin'  lots.  We've  got  reservoy  water  in  the 
village,  an'  there's  gas  works  goin'  up  this  sum- 
mer. There's  a  post  office  buildin'.  They  took 
28  429 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

it  out  of  Hawkins'  store  five  years  ago.  He 
was  awful  cut  up  over  it." 

"But,  Abner,"  said  his  wife,  "it's  folks  that  he 
wants  to  hear  about.  Jest  give  me  a  chance  now. 
Ain't  you  heard  nothin'  about  nobody?"  she 
asked  of  Harry. 

He  thought  they  must  hear  his  heart  pound- 
ing on  his  ribs. 

"No,"  he  said.  "The  proprietor  of  the  inn 
seems  to  be  rather  new  here." 

"Well,"  said  Mrs.  Trueman,  picking  up  the 
hem  of  her  apron  and  plaiting  it  between  her 
fingers,  "I  guess  your  nearest  neighbors  was  the 
Wests." 

Harry  nodded. 

"Eloise  run  off  before  you  left,  didn't  she? 
Yes.  Well,  it  'most  killed  her  par.  He  lingered 
along  a  spell,  an'  then  he  died,  an'  Helen — if 
there  ever  was  an  angel  without  wings  that 
girl's  'the  one — went  to  teachin'  in  the  old 
academy.  She  taught  an'  taught  fer  years,  an' 
then—" 

Harry  held  his  breath. 

"Say,  mar,"  said  the  oldest  boy,  rushing  out 

into  the  dining  room,  "they're  all  a-goin."  They 
430 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

want  to  say  good-bye  to  you.  Floss  Perrine  says 
it's  manners." 

Mrs.  Trueman  said  that  she  would  be  right 
along,  and,  rising,  said  to  Harry : 

"You'll  excuse  me  a  moment.  I  guess  Abner 
can  go  on  with  my  story." 

"Well?"  said  Harry,  turning  to  Mr.  True- 
man. 

"Why,  it  was  kind  of  sing'lar,"  said  Abner, 
"that  after  all  them  years  Helen  got  track  of 
Eloise's  only  child,  a  girl,  an'  after  Laurance 
Wilsey  died  Helen  went  down  to  York — last 
winter  'twas — to  live  with  her  niece." 

"Is  she  there  now  ?"  questioned  Harry. 

"N"o,  she's  here.  I  see  her  myself  to-day  down 
to  the  post  office.  She's  'most  as  handsome  as 
ever.  She's  kept  a  room  or  two  at  the  old  house 
to  come  to  when  she  likes.  Now,  them  Green- 
leafs  that  you  was  askin'  about — " 

But  Harry  had  arisen. 

"I'll  see  you  again,  Abner,"  he  said,  moving 
toward  the  door.  "It's  very  late,  you  know,  and 
I'm  very  tired.  Say  good-bye  to  your  good  lady, 
and  many  thanks  for  your  kindness." 

He  went  out  into  the  darkness,  but  the  night 
431 


TJU-:  KING'S  GOLD 

was  light  about  him.  He  leaned  on  the  gate- 
post of  his  old  home,  and  looked  across  at  the 
roof  that  sheltered  the  desire  of  his  eyes,  and 
praised  God  silently. 

All  this  he  told  to  Helen  that  morning  in  the 
orchard,  and  some  of  it  she  wrote  to  Edyth  the 
next  day.  She  also  said : 

"Harry  hopes  to  return  to  his  people  for  a 
while  to  get  a  new  missionary  started  in  his 
work.  The  ship  he  came  on  to  Liverpool  will 
return  soon  after  the  holidays.  Of  course  he 
wants  me  to  go  with  him.  I  want  to  see  you 
married  to  Winthrop  before  we  sail.  In  regard 
to  the  matter  of  selling  this  property  to  you, 
I  am  willing  to  do  so  at  any  time.  I  wish  I 
could  give  it  to  you,  but  it  is  almost  all  that  I 
have  of  my  own. 

"Harry  urges  me  to  be  married  here  quietly 
next  week.  Of  course  a  man  does  not  realize 
the  amount  of  sewing  there  will  be  to  do  be- 
forehand. Then,  too,  my  darling  girl,  my  mar- 
riage will  mean  the  breaking  up  of  our  little 
home  in  the  city,  and  I  do  not  want  to  inter- 
fere so  suddenly  with  your  lovely  work.  Please 

write  to  me  just  how  you  feel  about  it  all." 
'432 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

The  second  day  brought  the  following  letter 
from  Edyth : 

"DEAREST  OF  AUNTIES  :  Hallelujah !  No 
other  word  can  express  it.  Certainly  you  must 
be  married  next  week.  You  can  sew  all  the  rest 
of  your  life,  and  if  you  were  married  to-day 
it  wouldn't  give  you  two  any  too  much  time  to- 
gether, after  such  a  terrible  separation.  I  saw 
Winthrop  last  night  and  read  him  a  part  of 
your  letter,  and  he  thinks  just  as  I  do,  with  the 
exception  that  he  had  the  temerity  to  propose  a 
double  wedding!  For  this  he  was  duly  chas- 
tised. You  will  receive  this  on  Wednesday 
morning.  Please  take  the  afternoon  train 
down,  and  we  will  meet  you  at  the  station  at 
nine  o'clock  that  night.  I  am  going  to  give 
myself  the  pleasure  of  providing  your  entire 
outfit — wedding-gown,  veil,  and  all.  "We  will 
go  right  to  Madam  Moray,  who  used  to  make 
my  clothes,  and  she  will  rush  the  whole 
trousseau  through  within  a  week.  Then  we'll 
all  go  to  Sunnyslope  for  the  ceremony.  Do  you 
ask  what  is  going  to  become  of  me  ?  I  think  it 
is  better  for  me  to  rent  your  dear  old  home  for 

the  summer.    You  would  feel  sorry  to  part  with 
433 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

it  even  to  me,  and  you  will  do  better  to  rent  it 
furnished  than  you  would  to  sell  it  and  invest 
the  money.  But  more  of  this  when  you  come. 
"My  love  to  my  new  uncle.  Winthrop  and  I 
both  commend  his  enterprise. 

"Ever  your  loving 

"EDYTH/' 

Mr.  Reynolds  was  wanted  at  the  Mission 
Eooms  on  Thursday,  so  he  accompanied  Miss 
West  to  New  York  at  the  time  Edyth  had  ap- 
pointed, and  impressed  the  young  people,  who 
were  at  the  station  to  meet  Helen,  with  his 
distinguished  appearance  and  courtly  manners. 

"I  thank  you  both,"  he  said,  "for  espousing 
my  cause.  'The  eternal  feminine'  in  Helen 
would  have  put  off  the  happy  day  indefinitely. 
I  did  not  see  why  she  could  not  be  married  in 
the  white  gown  she  had  on  last  Sunday  morn- 
ing." 

"Edyth/'  whispered  Helen  to  her  niece,  "it 
was  a  morning  wrapper!" 

"But  you  looked  like  an  angel  in  it,"  said 
Edyth,  giving  her  arm  a  hearty  squeeze. 

There  were  a  few  hurried  but  happy  days  in 
434 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

the  city,  followed  by  a  couple  of  still  more  busy 
ones  in  the  Sunnyslope  home,  and  the  old- 
fashioned  parlor  of  the  brown  house  was  turned 
into  a  bower  of  roses  in  honor  of  Helen's  bridal. 
There  was  no  one  present  but  the  resident  min- 
ister and  his  wife,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dayton, 
Edyth  and  Mr.  Leigh.  The  three  ministers 
divided  the  ceremony  among  them.  Helen  was 
gloriously  beautiful  in  her  rich  gown  of  cream- 
white  satin  and  rare  lace,  and  Harry  stood  at 
her  side  like  a  prince  whose  love  had  prevailed 
over  time  and  space.  It  was  a  sacred  hour, 
never  to  be  forgotten  by  the  few  who  were 
privileged  to  share  in  it,  when  those  two  whose 
lips  had  quaffed  the  cup  of  disappointment  and 
pain  to  the  very  dregs  now  stood  hand  in  hand, 
crowned  with  loving-kindness  and  tender  mercy. 
They  had  chosen  to  take  their  wedding  trip  in 
the  shape  of  a  carriage  journey  across  the  pic- 
turesque country,  and  they  went  on  their  way 
in  all  the  glory  of  the  June  afternoon. 

Mr.  Leigh  and  the  Daytons  left  on  the  last 
train  for  the  city,  and  Edyth,  blessedly  filled 
with  praise  to  God,  went  to  rest  in  the  room  that 
had  once  belonged  to  Eloise,  her  girl-mother. 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

The  summer  flew  swiftly  on  golden  wings. 
Edyth  had  all  of  her  girls,  two  or  three  at  a 
time,  and  once  in  a  while  a  worn  and  discour- 
aged mother  and  a  sick  child,  to  spend  a  couple 
of  weeks  among  the  restful  hills.  Mr.  Reynolds 
was  in  demand  as  a  missionary  speaker  at  sum- 
mer assemblies,  where  multitudes  of  people  were 
stirred  by  his  story  to  a  deeper  love  for  those 
who  sit  in  darkness.  Helen  always  accom- 
panied him  on  these  journeys,  so  Edyth  saw  but 
little  of  her  until  the  month  of  October  brought 
them  back  to  stay  with  Edyth  in  Sunnyslope 
until  the  time  for  her  marriage  to  Winthrop 
Leigh. 

He  had  been  back  and  forth  occasionally  dur- 
ing the  summer,  stopping  at  the  inn,  and  some- 
times preaching  in  the  pulpit  of  a  local  church. 
Those  who  heard  him  predicted  a  bright  future, 
but  none  would  have  ventured  to  assert  that  a 
time  would  come  when  his  church  in  the  slums 
would  have  a  reputation  from  sea  to  sea,  and  his 
pulpit  would  make  the  selfish  rich  tremble  for 
their  souls'  salvation.  Yet  such  was  his  destiny. 

He   always   brought  to   Edyth  satisfactory 

reports  of  the  progress  of  the  buildings. 
436 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

"They  make  an  elegant  and  impressive  ap- 
pearance," he  said.  "The  organ  in  the  chapel  is 
a  magnificent  instrument,  and  I  hope  you  will 
run  down  soon  and  see  the  windows.  They  are 
rich  enough  for  a  fine  uptown  church." 

"Well,  the  poor  people  who  will  attend  there 
will  need  grand  music  and  beautiful  windows 
a  great  deal  more  than  those  who  usually  have 
them.  I  do  not  think  they  will  be  frightened 
away  by  such  things,  so  long  as  we  have  no 
formidable  pews  and  rich  carpets." 

"0,  Edyth,"  said  he  one  evening,  when  they 
had  been  talking  a  long  time  about  their  work, 
"what  would  I  give  if  my  dear  mother  could 
know  about  this !  She  had  a  burning  love  for 
souls,  an  absorbing  enthusiasm  for  the  kingdom 
of  Christ,  and  she  often  mourned  that  she  could 
do  so  little.  I  have  always  been  glad  that  her 
name  was  'Mary/  '; 

"Her  spirit  set  your  own  on  fire,  Winthrop. 
If  she  had  been  a  woman  of  the  world,  I  doubt 
if  I  had  ever  met  you  in  a  downtown  mission." 

Mr.  Leigh  had  taken  the  proper  steps  to 
secure  the  sanction  of  the  authorities  of  his 

Church  to  his  work  in  the  field  where  Provi- 
437 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

dence  had  evidently  directed  him.  By  the  first 
of  December  the  splendid  structures  were  com- 
pleted, and  the  chapel  was  publicly  dedicated 
to  the  service  of  God.  It  was  on  the  afternoon 
of  the  day  previous  that  Edyth  stood  with 
Winthrop  on  the  chapel  steps  and  ordered  the 
heavy  cloth  that  concealed  the  arch  of  the  en- 
trance to  be  removed.  The  winter  sunshine 
streamed  on  the  inscription,  and  Winthrop 
Leigh  with  misty  eyes  and  swelling  heart  read 
what  love  had  caused  to  be  traced  there:  "The 
Mary  Leigh  Memorial  Chapel." 

A  few  days  later  Edyth  went  to  call  on  Mrs. 
Walthope,  to  invite  her  to  her  wedding.  Edyth 
had  never  allowed  herself  to  suspect  Eleanor's 
treachery,  but  had  put  the  thought  far  from 
her.  She  inquired  for  her  of  Mrs.  Walthope. 

"Eleanor  is  lost  to  me,  Miss  Wilsey.  Shortly 
after  you  met  her  here  she  went  abroad  with  a 
pleasure  party  for  a  Mediterranean  cruise.  Dur- 
ing the  voyage  a  young  physician  from  Balti- 
more became  engaged  to  a  lady  in  the  party, 
and  a  dinner  was  given  on  board  in  honor  of 
the  event.  Eleanor  jumped  overboard  that 

night,  but,  the  steamer  being  at  anchor  and  the 
438 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

night  very  bright,  was  rescued  and  resuscitated. 
She  had  been  moody  for  some  days  before,  and 
had  confided  to  a  lady  of  the  party  that  some- 
thing weighed  on  her  mind  and  she  did  not 
know  a  happy  moment.  At  Genoa  she  left  the 
party,  and  went  to  London,  where  she  is  study- 
ing for  the  stage." 

Edyth  found  that  the  Dudleys  were  in  Cali- 
fornia for  the  winter,  so  her  invitations  were 
limited  to  the  Campbells  and  the  Daytons.  Mr. 
Leigh  had  a  college  chum  whom  he  desired  to 
have  present,  and  Edyth  had  asked  all  of  her 
girls. 

It  was  an  afternoon  wedding,  and  through 
the  high  rose  window  on  the  west  the  sunlight 
slanted  in  wide  rays  of  crimson  and  purple. 
The  chancel  was  all  abloom  with  white  roses 
and  carnations,  and  graceful,  stately  palms 
lent  their  own  peculiar  charm  to  the 
scene.  The  outer  doors  of  the  chapel  were 
closed,  the  few  guests  grouped  quietly  about  the 
altar,  and  only  the  soft,  mellow  strains  of  the 
great  organ  broke  the  sacred  hush  that  filled 
the  lofty  room.  Helen  Reynolds,  robed  by 

Edyth's  request   in  her  regal  white  wedding 
439 


THE  KING'S  GOLD 

gown,  and  radiant  with  happiness,  stood  a  little 
nearer  than  the  others  to  the  bride's  place.  The 
Eev.  Harry  Keynolds  and  the  Rev.  Charles  Day- 
ton waited  within  the  altar.  Edyth  came 
through  an  inner  passage  from  her  new  rooms 
in  the  next  building.  She  leaned  on  the  arm 
of  her  lover,  and  was  without  attendants.  She 
hardly  seemed  of  the  earth,  earthy,  so  pure,  so 
evanescent  she  appeared  in  her  filmy  veil  and 
gleaming  white  garments.  As  for  Winthrop 
Leigh,  he  walked  on  hallowed  ground,  his  soul 
filled  with  awe  of  this  shining  being  whom 
God  had  sent  to  him  with  love's  golden  chalice 
in  her  hands. 

We  will  leave  them  there,  kneeling  at  the  al- 
tar in  the  sunshine,  the  light  of  God  upon  their 
path  and  in  their  hearts;  and  sweeter  than  the 
organ  music  floating  through  the  house  of 
prayer  is  that  divine  summons  sounding  in  the 
ears  of  each : 

"He  died  for  all ;  that  they  which  live  should 
not  henceforth  live  unto  themselves,  but  unto 
him  who  died  for  them,  and  rose  again." 

FINIS. 


440 


A    000092116    3 


